Just One Yesterday
by Fenrir Glacies
Summary: Carmilla HP!AU Laura and Carmilla struggle to move on after what happened between them the previous year. Despite everything, Laura still finds herself drawn to Carmilla and soon enough they find themselves tangled in a web of lies and betrayal stretching all the way back to Carmilla's deceased father and an ancient evil that lurks beneath Hogwarts.
1. Prologue

Carmilla watched as her father's name was carved onto one of the walls of the Karnstein family mausoleum. Her mother, Adelaide Karnstein, had her hand on the three-year-old's shoulders. Beside her father, two more names were being carved in: his siblings. Their ashes were scattered outside earlier that day along with those of their spouses (with the exception of Adelaide who survived the encounter).

She heard someone sniffling to her left followed by someone shushing him.

"I want my mommy!"

"William, be quiet! You're making me look bad!"

"No care! Where mommy?!"

"Your mommy and daddy aren't coming back! And neither are mine!"

Carmilla stared curiously as her three-year-old cousin, William Eisen continued to make a fuss. Their other cousin, Alessandra Ivers who was only a year older than them, held him down and stopped him from running out of the mausoleum.

Adelaide moved to kneel in front of the other two children. Alessandra, or Lex as her cousins called her, immediately looked embarrassed. She shot an annoyed look at William before looking back at Adelaide.

"Aunt Adelaide! I'm so sorry! Will's just being difficult and-"

"Oh hush, dear. It's all right. I understand. I'm sure Carmilla does too. Isn't that right, love?"

Carmilla nodded. If she were honest, she didn't want to be here. It was raining outside, making the whole mausoleum colder than it normally was. It was also strange being surrounded by the names of different generations of " core Karnsteins " as everyone else liked to put it. Unfortunately for the young girl, her mother expected her to act indifferent to show all the other pureblood families that the Karnsteins are still strong even after losing three of its most influential members; that she and her cousins will be able to pick up the slack when they grew older.

Conrad Karnstein, Carmilla's father, was the Minister for Magic. He married Adelaide Morgan, a pureblood witch and a fellow Slytherin, at the age of 24. Adelaide is the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, and currently the acting Minister.

Conrad's sister Cassandra, was the Head of the Auror Office and Lex's mother . She married Desmond Ivers who studied at the Durmstrang Institute. He later became a very skilled Hit Wizard.

The last of the three was Carina, the former Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. She married Christopher Eisen, a Slytherin and a beater for the Montrose Magpies.

"My dear Conrad wouldn't want me to leave the children of his beloved siblings alone. Why don't the two of you come live with us? The home will be quiet after, ah, what happened to Conrad."

Carmilla perked up. Her cousins (well, specifically Alessandra. William was- no is a brat), were the only ones she looked forward to in their family gatherings. If they came to live with her and her mother, then maybe she wouldn't be so lonely.

Lex looked uncomfortable. "Aunt Adelaide, it's really too much-"

"No! Nonsense, child!" Adelaide said, putting hands on Lex's shoulders. "And it's Mother, now."

"Thank you, Au- erm, Mother." By now, Will had stopped crying and was now looking at Adelaide with wide eyes.

Adelaide smiled. "Excellent. When all this is over, there is much I have to teach the three of you."

Carmilla and Lex exchanged a look. Suddenly, the idea of living with her cousins didn't sound as appealing as it initially did

"Alessandra, darling," Adelaide said while getting up. "Please watch your cousins. There's someone I need to speak to."

 **==xx==**

Adelaide pulled her trench coat around her and tied it tighter. A man wearing a long coat was standing a few feet away from the outside of the mausoleum. The man was smoking a cigarette which he promptly stamped out as soon as he saw Adelaide approaching.

"Report," Adelaide commanded.

The man stood up straighter before speaking. "So far, nobody suspects a thing. The papers all say that it was an accident. Though, there is one reporter who's digging a little too much."

He showed Adelaide a picture. Her lip curled in distaste when she recognized the woman.

"Barton." Adelaide scowled. If it was still possible, the air grew even colder.

The man shivered and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You know her?"

Adelaide stood up straighter. "She was a former classmate of mine." She looked pointedly at the man. "Get rid of her."

The man raised an eyebrow. "People might not believe the words of one reporter but I'm sure they'll believe the words of a dead one.

Adelaide narrowed her eyes. "Has she approached anyone about her suspicions?"

"No but she could've written her research down somewhere."

"Then destroy everything. Make sure it looks like an accident, you're good at that anyway."

The man nodded. "Yes Ma'am, understood."

"Everything must go as planned. The Light is hungry and it wants to be fed." Adelaide walked back into the mausoleum .

The man nodded and slowly slunk into the shadows.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

So "core Karnsteins". Sounds confusing I know but here's how I structured their family. The ones who are considered "core Karnsteins" are either three children of the Head or (if the Head only has one) the child of each of the former core. So it's always either three siblings of three cousins. Let's say that the Head has three kids and his/her siblings have children too. The siblings' children won't be counted as the core. They can still have other kids, but they won't be prominent members who decide important stuff. But for simplicity's sake, I'm only mentioning the core. Also, Head is chosen by the previous Head so the whole "I'm the first born!" doesn't matter.

Alessandra is an OC. She's just a foil for Carmilla and William. I'll talk more about her in Chapter 1.

So mysterious guy. He's just a lackey and doesn't really play an important role. The reporter girl, however, is a little more important. How important, I don't want to say.

I already know the direction this story's going so my challenge is not to reveal too much. Also, this story will be Arrow/OUAT-style with some flashbacks that parallel the present. The "present" for the next chapters will be set when Carmilla and Will are in their 6th year and Lex is in her 7th and flashback to the previous years since starting from Year 1 is tedious.

If you have questions you can contact me on tumblr. My url's selenade (just add the rest because ff doesn't like links)


	2. Heal

_"Take my past and take my sins like an empty sail takes the wind." - Heal, Tom Odell_

* * *

 **Thirteen years later...**

Carmilla squirmed under the covers of her bed. Everything was so soft and warm and perfect and-

"Ow! What the fuck?!" Carmilla sat up and glared at the person who threw a big heavy trunk at her.

"Get up," Lex said simply. "I already packed all your shit." She was almost dressed, only lacking her Slytherin robes and Head Girl badge.

Carmilla said nothing and just threw herself back on the bed, burying her head into the pillow.

Lex sighed and walked over to one of the curtains and threw them open. The sunlight hit Carmilla's face. She yelped and tumbled off the bed. Lex moved to the next set of curtains, did the same then proceeded to the next and so on until Carmilla's room was bright and sunny. The said girl, on the other hand wasn't so sunny.

"Fucking hell, Lex," she groaned and pushed herself up. "I'm up, okay. Now, ugh, get out."

Lex smirked and threw her hands up in a gesture of "surrender".

"Okay, okay. Calm down, cranky pants," she said. "You better dress up quickly unless you want William to eat all the food."

Carmilla groaned and threw a random shoe at her cousin who dodged it.

Lex shook her head and walked out of the room, shutting it quietly behind her. Her cousin's sleep was disturbed enough. She'll get up.

Lex and William went ahead to find a private compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Carmilla hung back to double-check her things (at Lex's insistence because "Carmilla Alexis M. Karnstein, I'm graduating at the end of this school year and I won't be around to make sure your things are complete so you better get used to double-checking and triple-checking your things!")

Carmilla sighed and stood up. She pushed her trolley and left her stuff with the porter. She entered the train bringing only a book and began to look for her cousins. She scowled at the other students who made a lot of fuss upon seeing each other.

 _(Boo-hoo. You see your friends again. No need to act so excited, you lackwit.)_

They jostled her around, much to her displeasure. Carmilla finally snapped when some girl in Gryffindor robes bumped her, causing her to drop her book. Her prefect badge was also knocked off her robe.

"Bloody hell!" She bent down to get her book, while the other girl picked up her badge (she didn't even want to be a prefect and she's sure Lex and/or her mother pulled some strings.)

"Oh crap! I'm so sorry!"

Carmilla froze at the sound of her voice. She stood up, holding her book while the Gryffindor girl awkwardly held out her badge.

"Carmilla."

"Creampuff."

 **==xx==**

 **Five years ago...**

"Watch where you're going!" Carmilla snapped. She dropped her book and she hastily bent down to pick it up. She inspected the book to make sure its spine didn't wrinkle and that its pages weren't wrecked.

"I- I'm sorry," the other girl said a little timidly. She looked up at Carmilla who said nothing to acknowledge the apology. She just continued glaring at her.

"Um... my name is Laura! Laura Hollis!" Laura stretched out her right hand but Carmilla didn't take it.

 _(Seriously, this girl is so chipper. She'd probably get sorted into Hufflepuff. Those hippies.)_

"I don't have time for pleasantries," Carmilla mumbled, looking away.

Laura frowned at her. "Why are you so rude to me?" She crossed her arms and pouted.

Carmilla's lip quirked.

 _(So maybe she's cute when she pouts. She's still annoying.)_

She waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, sundance. I'm rude to everyone. You're not special."

This time, Laura looked downright offended. "And you are?"

Carmilla gave the other girl a wry smile. That seemed to piss Laura off even more but before she could say anything, a tall redhead in Gryffindor robes approached them,

"Hey frosh, is this girl bothering you?"

The redhead asked. Carmilla scowled at her.

"Mind your own business," she snapped. The redhead stood straighter, stretching to her full height, and glared down at Carmilla who simply stared back not at all intimidated by the (huge) height difference.

"My name's Danny Lawrence. I'm a second year. You'd do well to treat your upperclassmen with more respect."

"And you'd do well to keep your nose from other people's business, Lawrence," came another voice from behind Carmilla. It was Lex.

Danny looked at Lex with disdain. They obviously didn't get along with each other. "Ivers. Look who's talking. Why are you here?

"Unlike you, I actually have a reason to be here. Carmilla," Lex put a hand on the said girl's shoulder. "Is my cousin."

Danny scoffed. "No wonder. I should've known given the terrible attitude and all."

The two older girls glared at each other and an awkward silence followed.

Carmilla glanced at Laura who was staring at her feet.

"C'mon Carm. Will found a cabin," Alessandra said, steering her cousin away.

 **==xx==**

 **Present…**

Laura nervously tucked some stray strands of hair behind her ear. It's been a really long time since she last spoke to Carmilla.

"So how's your eye?" Carmilla asked gesturing to the small scar under the Gryffindor's left eye.

Laura reached up to touch it. "It's almost completely faded. Um… thanks for asking."

Their eyes met and Laura felt like she was back at the Yule Ball, dancing and laughing–

Then she locked her jaw and looked up at Carmilla. "I thought you didn't care."

Carmilla was taken aback by Laura's statement but before she could reply someone but her arm around Laura's shoulder.

"My nose is great too; after your Beater hit a bludger straight towards my face."

Carmilla groaned and ran a hand through her hair. "We really have to stop meeting like this, Xena."

Danny scoffed. "Pft. Please."

Laura noticed a compartment door slide open. Alessandra (or Lex, as her cousins call her) and Will stepped out then started to walk towards them. They stopped whenever they encountered another prefect, probably to remind them about the meeting. Finally, the pair reached them. Will smirked when she saw the band-aid of Danny's nose while Lex showed no emotion.

"Well this looks familiar," Lex said. She turned to look at Danny. "Lawrence."

"Ivers."

Silence.

Suddenly, Will chuckled. "How's your nose healing up?"

Danny opened her mouth to answer but Lex beat her to it. "William. That's enough."

"But–"

Lex sighed. "What you did was too much. I wanted you to play smart, not violently. In case you forgot, you're suspended from the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor games, this season."

"Wait. Why Ravenclaw too?" he demanded.

"You knocked Clara Fitzroy off her broom after you hit a bludger towards her head."

"And I remember you nearly abandoning your post to save her, cus. You yelled at everyone to save her. Almost cost us the game."

"I did it so Ravenclaw wouldn't harbor any ill-feelings towards the entire team, hell, the entire house. Just you."

Will frowned. "And now that chaser now has a Starsweeper XXI signed by Ginny Weasley-Potter of the Holyhead Harpies. Care to explain that?"

Lex raised an eyebrow. "A gesture of good faith, Will. Didn't mother teach you the importance of those? Really, William. I thought you paid attention to everything she taught us."

Will glared at his older cousin whose face remained expressionless. Finally, Will's shoulders slumped. He nodded and said, "Fine."

"Now that that's settled," Lex turned to face the other three. "There's a prefect meeting at the usual place in ten minutes. What on earth possessed the Headmaster to appoint Adam Martin as the Head Boy is beyond me."

"I thought Mathias Avery was the Head Boy?" Danny asked.

Lex scowled. "Unfortunately not. He's still recovering after someone used Aqua Eructo on his face."

Danny made a face. "I'd actually prefer him or even the Hufflepuff, Tommy James. I guess this is one thing we can agree on."

Lex nodded once. "I better make sure everything's set up before Martin gets there." And with that she pushed her way past her cousins, Laura, and Danny while mumbling something about "annoying Ravenclaw boy".

The remaining people looked at one another awkwardly.

"Should we follow or..." Laura asked.

Carmilla sighed and glanced at her cousin's retreating form. "Give her a few minutes."

 **==xx==**

The prefects' meeting room was the compartment at the very front of the train. It was the biggest and had a long table that seated 24 (two seats at the head, the rest at either side.) The walls were painted a dark chestnut brown. Lex and Adam were standing at the very head of the table. (Well, Lex was. Adam was sitting with his legs propped up.)

"Do you all have a copy of your patrol schedules?" Adam asked. The prefects mumbled their consent. "Nice. This meeting can finally end!"

Carmilla noticed Lex's left eye twitch in irritation.

"Yes, as Adam said oh so eloquently, this meeting–"

"Um, just a clarification," said Lola Perry, the 7th Year Hufflepuff prefect. "Quidditch captains who aren't prefects are still going to be allowed in our bathrooms."

Lex nodded and leaned forward. "Yes, but they're no longer allowed to take points away from other houses even in Quidditch-related matters. Brady Michaelson was already sanctioned for abusing his rights as Hufflepuff Quidditch captain." She glanced at Perry. "No offense to your house."

"None taken!" Perry said (a little too cheerfully, Carmilla noted.) "He deserved it."

"Right. This meeting is adjourned."

Carmilla stretched and stifled a yawn. She may not have wanted to be prefect but either Lex's or her mother's reputation would be frowned upon should she choose to act terribly (she couldn't care any less about her mother's but Lex's definitely mattered. She couldn't risk it. She'd never admit it out loud but she actually cared about her cousin.)

Carmilla noticed the bloody Amazon, wait sorry, _Danny_ put an arm around Laura. They were joined by Perry.

She regretted what happened between her and Laura the previous year. Just when things were starting to get better, her mother just had to–

"Carm, you okay?" Lex asked.

Carmilla looked up at her cousin's forest green eyes. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm absolutely golden, Lex," she drawled.

Lex frowned and straightened her tie which had become crooked because she kept fiddling with it every time Adam said or did something that irritated her. She opened her mouth to say something but Will piped up.

"She was probably daydreaming about that pint-sized Gryffindor nerd."

 _(Oh, that little–)_

He smirked at Carmilla who gave him the finger.

"That ship sunk last year, Mama's Boy." She crossed her arms and put her feet up on the black table.

Will leaned forward and rest his cheek on his right hand. "Yet you still go all 'heart-eyes' when you see her, Kitty."

"Oh yeah? Well–"

"Will the two of you stop bickering?" Lex cut in. "I'm getting a migraine." She rubbed her forehead. "But Will's right, Carm. You still give her heart-eyes."

Carmilla crumpled up a page from the notebook she was doodling on during the meeting and chucked it at Lex who caught it.

"No littering. And really, you should know better than to throw things at a keeper." She smirked.

Carm rolled her eyes at her cousin. "Whatever. Can we go back to the other compartment now? This one reeks of uptight prefects."

Will laughed and Lex shook her head.

"Unbelievable. Let's go."

"So hotties, how was the meeting?" Brody Kirsch, 7th Year Gryffindor and the beater of their Quidditch team, asked.

Danny groaned while Laura smiled, used to his antics by now.

"It went okay, Kirsch. Danny didn't butt head heads with the Karnsteins as much as she usually did."

"Actually," LaFontaine added. "she and Ivers got along pretty well since they had a mutual enemy: Adam Martin."

"The Ravenclaw dude SJ's been complaining about?" Kirsch asked.

Danny nodded. "That's the one. At first, I didn't believe he was as bad as Betty said up until we got stuck with each other for patrol last year." She made a face. "He's so arrogant, I swear."

Kirsch tilted his head. "Maybe that's why he and Ivers don't get along. Aren't they both like that?"

Danny shook her head. "After Fifth Year, Ivers and I developed a mutual respect for one another. Yeah, she seems arrogant but I realized that she only acts that way to people who tick her off. Unlike Martin, she can actually back up the things she says."

"Yeah, she really isn't as bad as she seems," Laura added. "She saved Clara Fitzroy last year during the Ravenclaw-Slytherin semifinals last year."

"Wasn't Clara saved by Mathias Avery?" Danny scratched her head.

"Yup yup! But at Lex's instruction." Everyone stared at her. "What? Her name's long!"

"Okay, so Ivers isn't that bad. Eisen, though…" LaFontaine trailed off.

Kirsch's eyes widened. He held his hands up as if to quiet everyone done. "Whoa, dude. What? Eisen? As in my buddy, Will Eisen?"

Danny's face scrunched up. "Since when were you and Eisen buddies?"

"Zeta Omega Mu, dude!"

"That dudebro group?"

Kirsch looked offended at Danny's comment. "How dare you, Summer Psycho? Zeta Omega Mu is a brotherhood," he beat his chest with a closed fist for emphasis "that aims for good relations among the dudes of different houses. Will was forced to join at first, by stuffy Lex but eventually, he warmed up to people."

"Um, well, he's still a bit stand-offish, isn't he?" Perry sighed when Kirsch stared at him. "I'm just saying."

"That's true but c'mon, guys! Give my buddy some credit!" He was met with scoffs and eye rolls (except from Laura who tried to give him a smile). He huffed. "Fine, be that way." He crossed his arms and looked out the window in an attempt to ignore them.

Danny punched his arm. "stop being so sensitive, princess."

"I'm not sensitive!" Kirsch retorted, swatting Danny's hand away.

"You so are."

"Am not!"

"You are!"

"Am not!"

They just kept going back and forth. Perry tried to stop them but they ignored her. LaFontaine laughed at her cute but futile attempts.

Laura just smiled and thought about how little changed.

 **==xx==**

 **Five years ago…**

"Do you have a seat?" Danny asked Laura after Lex dragged her cousin away from them.

Laura shook her head. "I was actually looking for one when I accidentally hit that girl, Carmilla."

Danny's face lit up. "Great! I have a compartment with my friends. Come on!" She took Laura's hand and led her through the train.

The younger girl smiled. (Maybe Hogwarts won't be so bad after all.)

They arrived at a compartment that was already occupied by two people with ginger hair. Danny slid the door open and shut it after she and Laura entered.

"Hey guys!"

"Hello Danny," the ginger with curly hair greeted Danny.

The other grinned and gestured at Laura. "Who's the new girl?"

Danny prodded Laura's back, prompting her to introduce herself.

"Oh, um, hi! I'm Laura Hollis!" She extended her right hand to the two. Each of them shook it.

"Pleased to meet you, Laura. I'm Lola Perry but everyone just calls me Perry," the curly-haired one said. "This is LaFontaine." She gestured at her companion who gave her a mock salute. "Please take a seat!"

Laura plopped down onto the seats right across the two gingers. Danny sat down right next to her.

"So, are you a muggle or pureblood?" LaFontaine asked her.

Perry's eyes widened and she slapped LaFontaine's hand. "LaF! That's rude! You can't just ask people that!"

Danny laughed. "Oh come on, Perry. The question's not so bad. Actually, I was wondering that myself."

All eyes turned to Laura who shifted uncomfortably. Her brow furrowed in confusion and she scratched the back of her head. "Um… I'm a little confused with the terms but, uh, my mother was a witch and my dad's, well, not. I never really got to know my mother since she died when I was three. My dad told me she went to Hogwarts so when I got my acceptance letter I jumped at the chance to get to know her somehow."

Danny nodded. "Oh, I see. My mom was a half-blood just like you and my dad was a pureblood. The Lawrence's have been sending its kids to Hogwarts for generations so… yeah."

"Oh, that's cool! How 'bout you, Perry?"

Perry looked down, as if she was embarrassed. Laura wondered whether she said something wrong. Before she could tell Perry that she didn't have to share if she didn't want to, the other girl spoke up.

"My parents are squibs." Perry noticed Laura's blank expression so she continued. "Their parents were magical folk but they weren't. They didn't go to Hogwarts so now they're expecting a lot from me."

Laura's mouth formed a small 'o'. LaF put a hand over one of Perry's. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, Perr! Your parents are great and you're an excellent student." Perry smiled at LaF and said a quiet "thank you."

Everyone turned to look at LaF who stared back. "What?"

"Your turn to share," Danny said simply.

LaF chuckled. "I come from a family of metamorphmagi."

If it was possible, Laura's nose would have bled. "I'm sorry, what? Metamuffy?"

"Me-ta-morph-ma-gi," LaF said slowly. "It means we can change some parts of our appearance. There are different kinds but mine, well, basically, I don't identify as either boy or girl. That's why people refer to me using they/them pronouns."

"Oh that's so cool!"

"Glad you think so! The other kids probably won't."

"Ignore them, LaF," Perry said. LaFontaine nodded.

"Hey, Laura, do you know what your mom's house was?" Danny asked.

Laura shook her head. "I don't even know what that is."

"Hogwarts has four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin," Perry started. "Later, first years will be sorted among those four. I'm in Hufflepuff and Danny's in Gryffindor. LaF's still a first year like you so she'll be sorted later."

Laura remembered Lex and her green robes. "The girl we saw earlier. Lex, was it? What's her house?"

Danny made a face. "She's in Slytherin. Don't worry about Ivers and her cousin. If I'm right, Little Miss Broody will be put in Slytherin just like Ivers. She seems like the type."

"What's so bad about Slytherin?"

Before Danny could answer, the door slid open and a boy around Danny's age barged in.

"What's so bad about Slytherin? They're a bunch of lying jerks! That's what they are!" He said, sitting down heavily right next to Danny.

Danny glared at him and slid the door shut. "Brody, what are you doing here?"

The boy shrugged. "I needed a seat so I thought I'd chill with you guys. And it's Kirsch."

Danny rolled her eyes. "Just don't be your usual self."

"What? Handsome and charming?"

"No. Loud and obnoxious."

"Hey!"

Before the two could bicker any further, Perry cleared her throat. "It's good to see you, Kirsch. Have you met Laura?"

Kirsch's eyes widened as if only noticing Laura now. "Wow, you're tiny!" Danny punched his arm. "Ow! What was that for, Psycho?!"

"You don't have to be so rude!" Danny said, punching him again.

"Ow, ow! Okay! I'm sorry!" He rubbed his arm. "Sup, shorty? Name's Brody Kirsch. But you can just call me Kirsch. I'm in Gryffindor like Psycho over there. Speaking of which," he turned his attention back to Danny. "I'll be trying out for the Quidditch team this year."

"Yeah, what position?" Danny asked, suddenly interested.

"Beater."

Danny snorted. "Great. You'll be one of the meatheads."

Kirsch glowered at her. "Hey! Being a beater is a very important job! And you can't insult me if you're not going to try out."

"Actually, I am. Trying for keeper!"

Kirsch laughed. "That's… That's…" His smile faltered. "That's pretty important. Damn. Okay. Fine. You win this time, Psycho. Good luck in the tryouts."

"Wish I could say the same for you."

"Hey!"

And they kept bickering for the rest of the ride. Perry shook her head and LaF poked her side. Laura simply smiled. She felt like she was around people she could depend on. Suddenly, Hogwarts didn't seem so scary.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

This chapter was originally 6000+ words long so I halved it and now, it's 3000+

Lex - ah Lex my precious child. Lex is just a foil for Carmilla and Will. Still undecided about how important her role's going to be. And no, she's not based on Lexa from The 100. I made the character and outlined her long before I got into The 100 and I only realized the similarities when I started writing. I wanted a character who could truly highlight Will and Carmilla's traits since those two are similar at times. Danny and Carmilla don't interact that often with each other here and when they do, it's mostly in the form of arguments and sass-offs so you don't see much personality. You'll probably see more of how she's a foil in the next chapter.

LaF as a metamorphmagus - I just thought it would complement the fact that they're non-binary since they can be either or neither male/female (but identifies as neither). There are different kinds of metamorphmagi (e.g. Tonks can change her hair and facial features)

Laura's mom - What house do you want her to be in?

If you have any questions, you can contact me on tumblr: selenade


	3. The Story of Us

_"How'd we end up this way? See me nervously pulling at my clothes and trying to look busy, and you're doing your best to avoid me." - Story of Us, Taylor Swift_

* * *

 **Present…**

"First years please follow me!" Danny called out. She, along with the other Seventh Year prefects, were leading the incoming first years to the Great Hall. LaFontaine and the other younger prefects were helping them keep order… sort of.

LaF glanced at Will who was mostly scaring the lower years with stories of monsters hidden around Hogwarts including something about some secret chamber with a basilisk or something like that. Lex noticed what he was doing and immediately called his attention, threatening him with suspension from prefect duties. Will sneered at her but his reddening ears revealed how he really felt. Carmilla snickered and said something to Lex who just shook her head.

It always fascinated LaF that William Eisen, one of the people considered the most feared in their batch, seemed terrified of his older cousin. Carmilla, another one of those people, was more at ease with Lex.

If they were completely honest, Lex _was_ pretty intimidating. At five-eight, she stood five inches shorter than Danny yet the way she carried herself made her seem taller. She gave off an aura that commanded respect. She's a pretty charismatic Quidditch captain despite being the least sociable Karnstein.

Will was a little taller than his cousin but didn't have the same air of authority. He did exude arrogance and pretentiousness. He was also a little spoiled, most probably because he was the youngest among the cousins and the only boy. To give him some credit, he was an excellent but violent beater in Quidditch. The other houses were wary of him which was why Gryffindor and Ravenclaw sighed in relief when Lex suspended him from their games. Hufflepuff wasn't so lucky.

Last among the Karnstein cousins was none other than Carmilla. She's the daughter of the current Minister for Magic, Adelaide Karnstein. According to people, Adelaide regarded her as her "glittering girl" and raised her to be charming which she admittedly was if she wanted to be. However, Carmilla obviously didn't like the attention her mother gave her making her the most rebellious among her cousins. It surprised everyone when she was named as a Slytherin prefect back when she was in her fifth year. People thought that her mother was the one who pulled strings so Carmilla would get the position but LaFontaine had their money on Lex. Lex obviously cared a lot for her cousin and wasn't pleased with her rebellious nature so she probably thought that making her prefect would teach her a lesson, somehow.

The Ravenclaws had a small grudge against Carmilla because despite her slacking, she continued to get outstanding marks in her subjects. They accused Lex of cheating for her cousin but LaFontaine could tell that such an act was beneath the girl. Which left only one other explanation: Carmilla was just infuriatingly good. She was one of the best seekers in Quidditch and to this day, hasn't been bested by any of the other seekers.

LaFontaine's attention was diverted away from the Karnstein cousins to Perry when the latter approached a shy looking first year. Perry knelt in front of her, smiled, then asked her a few questions. The girl answered shyly at first then she gradually became more enthusiastic with her answers. LaF couldn't help but smile at the scene. The girl reminded them of a young Perry during her first few years at Hogwarts.

Perry and they were friends since childhood. Perry, being a year older, went to Hogwarts first. The older girl was so terrified before leaving on the Hogwarts Express. The fear was even more amplified because her best friend wouldn't be with her. That was pretty much the reason why LaF was a hat stall during their sorting ceremony.

Once all the first years were safely inside The Great Hall, the prefects and Student Heads sat with their respective houses. LaFontaine and Perry sat next to each other at the Hufflepuff table. Laura ended up right between Danny and Kirsch. The poor girl found herself smack dab in the middle of one of their petty arguments. She glanced at the Hufflepuff table, her eyes screaming for help. LaFontaine laughed and mouthed, "There, there" which earned her a glare and a "not helping." They shook their head and looked at Headmistress Matska Belmonde, a tall dark-skinned woman. She terrified Laura for some reason. She barely spoke and nobody really knew what kind of person she was which was odd considering she was chosen to be Hogwarts' new Headmistress. All everyone knew was that she was a Ravenclaw when she was still a student of Hogwarts and that she knew the Minister for Magic in some way or another. The Hall quieted down when she tapped her fork against her glass.

"Welcome, students, to another year at Hogwarts! First, I would like to acknowledge the winners of last year's House Cup and the Quidditch Cup! Slytherin!" she said, gesturing to the table with green and silver banners above them. The entire Slytherin table clapped and cheered. Will was one of the especially loud ones, banging his fist onto the table while shouting a bunch of inaudible stuff. Carmilla clapped slowly and wore a dry smirk. Lex, however, only smiled a little before her face reverted back to, what they liked to call "the resting bitch face."

When Slytherin quieted down, Belmonde continued. "Wishing you the best of luck in defending your titles. The rest of the announcements will come after the sorting. She gestured for Professor Longbottom, a slightly chubby man with some stubbles on his face, to get on with the sorting.

Everyone's attention was directed to the Sorting Hat, resting on a stool in front of the professors' table. Professor Longbottom stood up and lifted the hat after bringing out a (very long) list of names.

"Abernathy, Paige," he called out. The little girl Perry talked to earlier stepped forward and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on her head and shortly afterwards, it called out "Hufflepuff!"

LaFontaine's entire table clapped and cheered. Some of the second years stood up to welcome Paige to their table. She locked eyes with Perry who smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up.

"That was a lot shorter than yours, LaF," Perry said. " You know, I really thought you were going to be placed in Gryffindor."

LaF simply smiled and replied with, "I guess I was a Hufflepuff at heart." Perry looked at them and smiled so warmly they felt their heart melt. They would give _anything_ to make sure Perry always smiled like that.

 **Five Years Ago…**

"LaFontaine, Susan!"

LaF scowled at the name. Their parents thought they were a girl until they brought them home and found out they were _that_ kind of Metamorphmagus. It was too late to change their name on their birth certificate to a more gender neutral one which was why they called them by their surname instead.

They sat on the stool and the Sorting Hat was placed on their head.

 _Ah, a metamorphmagus,_ the Hat spoke in their head. _Your kind is very rare. Hmmm, let's see. You're fiercely loyal and courageous. I'd say-_

"Gr-"

 _Wait!_ LaF shouted in their head. If it was possible, the hat scowled. They could feel its irritation.

 _What's this? You think I'm wrong? I've been used for generations. I'm never wrong._

LaF sighed. Everyone was looking at her curiously. _I know, I know. It's just that, my friend, Perry._ They felt the Sorting Hat shift to look at the said girl. _She'd be alone in Hufflepuff and I don't want her to be alone._

 _That's not how sorting works._

LaFontaine scowled. _Yeah but can't you make an exception just this once?_

They felt the hat thinking. _Well you can be as loyal and as nice as a Hufflepuff, added to the fact that your mother was one. Very well. I shall sort you in-_

"Hufflepuff!" It announced.

LaFontaine breathed a sigh of relief. The Hufflepuff table cheered. They sat down next to Perry who gave them a hug.

"What took you so long?" Perry asked them.

They grinned at her and said, "I guess it fell asleep trying to look for my personality."

Perry laughed. The happiness on their friend's face was definitely worth that nerve-wracking conversation.

Several more people were called after LaFontaine. Laura anxiously waited for her turn. Her father didn't say anything about her mother's house and even though Danny, LaF, Perry, and Kirsch gave her an idea of the traits of each house, she still wasn't sure where she would belong.

Was she kind enough to be a Hufflepuff? Was she cunning enough to be a Slytherin? Was she smart enough to be a Ravenclaw? Or was she brave enough to be Gryffindor?

"Hollis, Laura!" Professor Longbottom called out.

 _(Oh god oh god oh god. No. Not yet. I'm not ready how does this work? I'm confused. Help. Someone help! Do I just sit? Am I supposed to say something or-)_

 _Please stop,_ the hat said.

 _Oh it's on my head._ Laura shifted in her seat. _So how does this work?  
_

The hat laughed. _You really are Emma's daughter._

Laura felt something stir inside her. _You knew my mother? Right, of course you do._

If it was possible, the Sorting Hat probably would've laughed. _You're curious and intuitive enough to be a Ravenclaw but your bravery, just like your mother's, is definitely..._

"Gryffindor!" The hat announced.

The Gryffindor table cheered and welcomed her to the table. She sat down next to Danny who smiled and clapped her back. Kirsch was sitting across her and he gave her two thumbs up. Laura smiled. She's in the same house as her mother. It wasn't much but she already felt closer to her.

Laura was seated facing the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables. She saw LaFontaine next to Perry on the Hufflepuff table and she gave them a wave.

"Karnstein, Carmilla!" The whole hall suddenly went silent. Laura turned to ask Danny why everyone was suddenly so quiet but the taller girl had her eyes trained on Carmilla too. The hat was placed on her head and after a few seconds it announced "Slytherin!"

The Slytherin table roared lou der than all the rest before, if possible.

Danny scoffed. "They're cheering that way because they definitely have the Minister vouching for them and giving all the good stuff now."

Laura nodded. Danny had explained Carmilla's relation to the Minister earlier. Though, after, she had to tell her what the Minister for Magic was since, well, Laura was raised in a Muggle environment. She watched as Carmilla sat down right between her cousins. Will said something to Carmilla who rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder. She glanced at the Headmistress. It seemed as if some kind of understanding passed between them but Carmilla looked away so quickly that Laura thought she imagined it.

Matska Belmonde was a muggleborn abandoned at the steps of an orphanage . At an early age, Matska already exhibited magical abilities which caught the attention of Xanxus Morgan, co-head of Morgan & Duke which is one of the corporations that specializes in providing wood for wand and broomstick manufacturers. Xanxus adopted six-year old Matska and brought her into the Morgan household. Xanxus' twelve -year-old daughter, Adelaide didn't really care much for young Matska.

That didn't really bother Matska. Really, she was content with being left alone. However, after Adelaide married Conrad Karnstein and had Carmilla, Matska was drawn to the little girl which brought her a teensy bit closer to Adelaide.

After Conrad's death, Matska moved in with Adelaide and the children. She left Morgan & Duke to Leila and Lucas Duke and applied for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. She was elected to be the next Headmistress of Hogwarts after Professor Minerva McGonagall resigned.

"Pretty sure, Mattie's going to ask you to her office one of these days," Lex said.

Carmilla noticed that Headmistress Belmonde, or Mattie as she and her cousins called her, had the beginnings of a smile on her face after she got sorted.

"You know what I don't get." Will bit into a chicken before continuing. "Why is she in Ravenclaw and not Slytherin like Mother? "

Lex shrugged but Carmilla answered. "Well, Mattie told me that she asked the Sorting Hat to put her in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin because she didn't want to be with Mother."

"And Mattie tells you everything?" Will said skeptically.

"Well, Mattie definitely treats me better than you or Mother do."

Will frowned but before he could reply, Lex spoke up. "Guys, if we want to talk about our family issues, we should _probably_ do it where nobody else is around." Her voice was quieter than normal but Will and Carmilla heard her just fine. "We really don't need anyone finding out about our family issues."

Carmilla huffed. "Fine." Will just grumbled his consent.

Lex tilted her head slightly. "Great. The sorting's almost done. Mattie's going to be announcing stuff soon. You two better pay attention."

"When has William ever paid attention to anything?"

Carmilla and Lex laughed at that but Will scowled and threw his raisins at them.

 **Present…**

Dinner was almost over. Laura couldn't wait 'til she could shower to wash the bits of food that got stuck in her hair after Danny and Kirsch started a mini-food fight over whose organization will be the one assigned to do what for the annual Yule Ball which w ill be held during December.

The Yule Ball used to be a once every so-and-so years in the middle of the Triwizard Tournament but it was changed to every year due to popular demand (and because the Tournament was discontinued). It was limited to only fifth years and higher.

The thought of the Yule Ball made Laura feel queasy mostly because of what happened last year…

She glanced at the Slytherin table behind her. Carmilla's eyes briefly met hers before she turned her attention to Will, grabbing a croissant from his plate much to the boy's chagrin. Laura turned her attention back to her empty dinner plate.

Was she happy with Carmilla? No. Was she hurt by what Carmilla did? Yes. But did she hate Carmilla ?

She glanced at the dark-haired girl again. She was talking to Lex with her mouth full of croissant. Normally, Lex would tell Carmilla off but this time she just sighed and answered with one or two words. Carmilla looked down, seeming slightly upset with her cousin's sudden change of demeanor.

No. The answer was no. She couldn't bring herself to hate Carmilla. Something was going on. Laura just couldn't figure out what.

She was so lost in her musings that she didn't notice Belmonde announcing something until everyone started getting up. Laura hastily stood up and followed Danny.

"What did Belmonde say?" She asked Danny.

"Just that Quidditch tryouts start next week and that she'll be giving the schedules to the captains," the taller girl replied. "Did you space out, Hollis? It's not like you to miss an announcement."

Laura looked down sheepishly.

Danny sighed. "If this is about Dead Girl, forget her. She screwed you over last year. She's not worth your time."

Laura simply nodded, not really wanting to argue with her friend. Danny was heavily biased against Carmilla despite her cordial relations with Lex. Then again, Danny used to despise Lex.

"Gryffindor first years, with me!" Danny called out. Laura took that as her cue to start directing the student-flow.

She glanced at Carmilla one last time before directing her attention back to the first years.

Carmilla collapsed onto her bed almost as soon as she entered the dormitory she shared with Lex. It was actually just the Seventh Year prefect's room but Lex managed to pull a few strings and get another bed into the room since it was big enough for two. Lex's things were also so well-organized that she didn't need that much space.

"Carm," her cousin called out. She was standing by one of the windows, looking out at the lake, wearing her silk gray boxers and a dark purple tank top which were pretty much all she wore to sleep (then again, Carmilla only wore her underwear so Lex is decent compared to her.) "Have you thought about Mother's offer?"

Carm rolled over.

 _(Really, Lex, now?)_

"I've been tucking it in the deep dark corners of my brain. Why?"

Lex muttered, "Typical." Before looking at her cousin and answering louder. "I'm just doubting her methods, like always. I mean, I had my suspicions about what she did at the side and now that I found out I was right, well…" She shrugged. "I don't know what to think of it."

"So what are you going to do?" Carmilla asked.

Her cousin crossed her arms and looked back out the window. "Follow my head, like always."

Carmilla pushed herself up to sit on her bed. "And what's your head telling you now?"

Lex pursed her lips. "I don't know yet."

Carmilla rolled her eyes. "Well that's definitely helpful, Ice Queen," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lex grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at Carmilla who dodged it before picking it up and throwing it back. Lex caught it with ease.

"Go to sleep. We'll be waking up early tomorrow."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So stuff to address:**

 **1) LaF's sorting. Okay, so I have a personal headcanon (which is also based one of Kaitlyn's Gin-terviews) where LaF was supposed to be in Gryffindor but she begged to be in Hufflepuff. Personally, I would sort LaF in Gryffindor but she'd definitely want to be put in /**

 **2) Mattie - When I started writing this story, Mattie wasn't announced yet and I had absolutely no idea how she would fit in the story. And then Episode 5 happened and I was like "waaaaat. Okay. I love her. I'll give her a more major role." So here she is. The headmistress, and Carmilla's favorite aunt instead of being her sibling. There'll be Carmilla-Mattie moments to come (yes, I re-wrote a bunch of chapters.)**

 **3) The tables - After doing a lot of digging, it seems to be that the tables switch around. The only constant thing is that Gryffindor and Slytherin are always separated by Ravenclaw and/or Hufflepuff.**

 **4) Lex and Carm's dorm. I have a personal headcanon that since Slytherin Head Students are pretty rare, Slytherin would have a special room reserved for them.**

 **If there are any typos, pronoun errors, grammatical errors, weird sentences, misplaced phrases etc., please please please tell me. My editor *pointed glare* is on hiatus and my eyes are pretty tired of reading the same words over and over again.**


	4. The Tension and the Terror

_"A look, a laugh, a smile, a second passes by and I regret it." - The Tension and The Terror by Straylight Run_

* * *

 **Present...**

Lex woke up earlier than her cousin, no surprise there. She rolled her eyes when she looked at Carmilla who was sprawled on her bed, her blanket barely covering her. Lex immediately got up and began to change into her Quidditch uniform but without her Keeper gear. She'll just be flying around and at most, passing and catching a quaffle with her cousin. She looked at her cousin again.

 _(So much for getting up on time.)_

Lex shook her head and put her hair up in its usual French braid. She looked under her bed. The package was there, as instructed. She retrieved it before grabbing Carmilla's Quidditch sweater from the latter's trunk. Lex approached her cousin and poked her with one end of the package. Carmilla didn't budge. Lex poked her a few more times and when she still didn't show any signs of waking up, the older girl pulled out her wand. She couldn't exactly throw the curtains open the way she usually did at their mansion (they valued their privacy; that and because the Slytherin dorms are located under the lake) so a spell will have to do.

" _Lumos Solem._ " A bright light burst from the tip of her wand and hit Carmilla's face.

Carmilla's eyes snapped open and she fell off her bed. She groaned and covered her face. Lex quelled the urge to smile.

"What do you want?" Carmilla grumbled.

Lex couldn't help but chuckle at that. "We need to warm-up, cus. You're my vice-captain this year. Can't afford to look weak in front of the fresh meat." She threw Carmilla her Quidditch sweater. "Get dressed. Your pants are still in your trunk."

Lex patiently waited for Carmilla to finish changing before tossing the package to her. Carmilla caught it with ease and looked at her cousin curiously.

"The fuck is this?" She asked.

Lex rolled her eyes. "It's a chair," she deadpanned. Her cousin glared at her sarcastic comment. "I'm pretty sure the shape makes it obvious."

Carmilla said nothing and ripped it open. Her jaw dropped. "A Firebolt? Lex, how much did you spend on this?"

"Relax, Carm. We're loaded, in case you forgot." Lex's tone was dismissive but she knew what Carmilla was really trying to say. She didn't have to get her a new broom but after Mother forced her to make a really shitty decision which forced Carmilla to make an even shittier one, she felt like she had to make up for her broken heart… Somehow.

Lex could see her cousin struggling to speak. "Don't bother. Just help me defend our title."

Carmilla nodded and got up, following her cousin out of the dorm.

 **==xx==**

 **The Voice of Hogwarts**

 **Quidditch Season Starts Again**

 **By Andrew Thomas**

Quidditch is arguably _the_ most anticipated event in Hogwarts. The houses practice through different weather conditions. Alumni of the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would visit just to watch the games. The Hogwarts Quidditch Bazaar, which was started and funded by Hogwarts Alumnae Ginevra Weasley-Potter, is starting to bring out its merchandise.

Fans of the sport are looking forward to seeing Ravenclaw and Slytherin captains, Adam Martin (Chaser) and Alessandra Ivers (Keeper) respectively, duking it out by the goals. Their exchanges, albeit very short, are always action-packed and sometimes lead to high tension between Slytherin and Ravenclaw for weeks. Rumor has it that their rivalry escalated because of to the incident involving Clara Fitzroy, a Ravenclaw chaser. An anonymous source told The Voice that Ivers sent Fitzroy a new broom following the latter's injury at the hands of the Keeper's cousin, William Eisen. Martin, however, was still unwilling to forgive Ivers and led a group of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students to throw eggs at Ivers during the Slytherin vs Gryffindor match a month later. Ivers refused to comment about the event.

Another mini-spectacle was William Eisen, and Theodore Straka trying to "out-beat" each other. Eisen and Straka currently hold the beater record: tied with an average of 97 successful hits per season. However, after the incident with Fitzroy, Ivers suspended Eisen from playing in Slytherin's matches against Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Despite that, Eisen remains one of the school's favorite players and Ivers received a lot of heat for her decision. Wilson Kirsch, a Gryffindor beater with an average of 95 hits, mentioned in a recent interview that he hopes to bump up his average while Eisen is not playing to which Eisen responded with "I wish him the best of luck." Straka simply said that "[t]hinking about those two is just a waste of my time." Eisen and Kirsch are friendly rivals on and off the ring and are members of the Zeta Omega Mu fraternity which is headed by Straka.

Everyone's making bets on how fast Carmilla Karnstein can catch the snitch this year. During the finals last school year, Slytherin's seeker was seemingly distracted, prompting Ivers to throw a quaffle at her head. Another anonymous source told us that her distraction was most likely due to her recent break-up with Gryffindor's star chaser, Laura Hollis. Karnstein says that she "had a lapse in judgment. It won't happen again" and that she has moved on from the breakup. The cause of the break-up is unknown but it means that the charming seeker is back on the playing field. Hollis has yet to comment on it.

Tryouts start next week. Schedules can be found on the very last page. The positions each house is looking for are as follows:

Gryffindor: 1 Chaser, 1 Keeper (sub), 1 Seeker (sub), 1 Chaser (sub)

Ravenclaw: 1 Seeker, 1 Seeker (sub), 1 Chaser (sub)

Hufflepuff: 2 Chasers, 1 Beater, 2 Chasers (sub), 1 Beater (sub)

Slytherin: 1 Beater (sub), 1 Keeper (sub)

Slytherin vs Hufflepuff will be on the second week of October.

 **==xx==**

Laura felt her face heating up after she read the article.

 _(I'm going to get Andrew for this. I mean, seriously?! It's only the second day of school!)_

Her attention was diverted by Kirsch sitting heavily onto the seat next to her. He was holding another copy of The Voice of Hogwarts which was open to Andrew's article. Unlike Laura, Kirsch had a huge grin on his face.

"I don't know how you guys do it, nerd-hottie. I only gave that statement last night!" He said. He noticed Laura's red face. "Oh, right. It mentioned your- your thing with, uh, Carm-sexy." He shook his head. "Don't worry about it! If anybody harasses you for breaking up with your hot ex, just say the word and the brothers of Zeta Omega Mu will be on you!" He brought a fist up to his chest as a sign of his "Bro Word" or something like that.

Before Laura could comment on how awfully worded his statement was, Danny slid right between them and slapped the back of Kirsch's head, who yelped and glared at the tall girl.

"That sounded so wrong. Please don't say it again or else I'll have to deny our friendship more than I already do," she said. Danny turned her attention to Laura. "But he's right about one thing. Don't worry about it. You know reporters. They love gossip especially if it involves one of their own or a well-known student… Um… No offense."

Laura sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "None taken." She spotted Andrew at the other end of the Gryffindor table. "Excuse me, I need to have a word with our Sports Editor." Before she could get up, hands pushed her back down. "What the-" She looked up and saw LaFontaine looking sternly down at her.

"Hollis, you're a little intense ball of rage right now so you _probably_ shouldn't confront Thomas at this state. You know how dramatic that boy can get," they said.

Laura huffed. "I'm not _intense._ " Danny, Kirsch, and LaF all stared at her. "Okay maybe a little," she conceded. LaF grinned and sat right next to Laura.

"Dude, shouldn't you be at the Hufflepuff table?" Kirsch asked them.

LaF waved him off. "Nobody really cares during breakfast and lunch. Even Head Girl lets it slide," they said.

Danny snorted. "Yeah but Perry doesn't." She waggled her eyebrows at LaF. Laura and Kirsch laughed at the sight of LaF's reddening face.

"You're so screwed," Kirsch said. LaF threw a piece of bread at him.

"No, I'm not! Besides, she's having a word with Ivers. Something about asking why she put two certain people together."

"Who?" Danny asked.

LaF shrugged. "I don't even know how she found out. The schedule Martin handed her only showed her sched and no one else's."

Laura frowned then she looked at her watch. "Oh my God! I'm gonna be late for Potions!" She jumped up and stuffed a few cookies into her mouth and waved goodbye to her friends.

 **==xx==**

Professor Blackwood wasn't around when Laura arrived so technically, she's not late. She scanned the room for an empty seat. Unfortunately for her, the only one happens to be right next to a Ravenclaw boy, and right in front of Carmilla.

 _(Of course. The universe hates me. I'm sure of it.)_

Laura took a deep breath before walking towards the seat.

 _(Relax Laura. You're just walking towards a seat. You're going to sit down and you're going to avoid Carmilla. Hopefully, you'll be paired with the Ravenclaw boy. He's nicer, I think. I mean, I haven't really talked to him but he's in the same frat as Kirsch so- Oh look! I'm here.)_

Laura pulled out the chair and sat on it. She glanced up and momentarily locked eyes with Carmilla before looking away quickly. She could feel Will smirking at her. She felt her face heating up. So yes, she didn't hate Carmilla but she sure as hell hated her annoying jerkface cousin.

Before Laura could do anything about her feelings of hatred (like, let's say, tell him off or yell at him), The Ravenclaw boy next to her, Theo Straka, cleared his throat.

"You're Laura, right?" he said.

Laura jumped up in her seat and turned to face Theo. "Yep! That's me! Laura Hollis. 'Sup?"

She winced internally. _(That was so bad.)_

"You're as jumpy as Wilson says you are," Theo said. "Too bad that boy can't hit a bludger properly for the life of him. Wonder why The Voice of Hogwarts thinks he's up to par with my skills."

"Oh and you're such a great beater, Straka," Will piped up. Carmilla rolled her eyes and brought out a book.

"Please, Eisen. You got suspended from your team." Theo smirked as Will's face reddened.

"I'm sure Lex is going to lift the suspension." Will glared at Theo who just threw his head back as he laughed.

"Is that what helps you sleep at night?"

Laura noticed Will clench his jaw. He started reaching for his wand and Theo did the same. Laura's eyes widened in panic. She looked at Carmilla hoping that the other girl would do something about it. Unfortunately, her head remained buried in her book.

Before the two boys could start dueling in the middle of the classroom, the door slammed open and Professor Blackwood marched in.

Professor Vlad Blackwood is a tall lanky man with dark hair and large rectangular glasses. He's the current Gryffindor Head of House. Laura was actually quite fond of him because he didn't play favorites. He somehow made Potions (a subject she does terribly in) very interesting.

"Okay class!" He slammed his books onto the table causing everyone to jump up in their seats. Theo and Will immediately stowed their wands away. "Normally, I don't make the whole class brew a potion on the first day but seeing as to how you're all in 6th year now, eh. Why not?"

He lifted the book at the very top of his pile. "I assume you all have updated editions of Advanced Potion Making." People mumbled their consent. "Excellent. Please turn to page 78."

Laura flipped her book to the said page and gulped when she saw the potion name.

"Huh. Draught of Living Death," Theo mumbled.

"Yes! Draught of Living Death! I know, I know," Professor Blackwood said as soon as he heard students groaning. "It's one of the most difficult potions to concoct which is why I'm giving you the _entire period_ to do it."

Laura felt her dread sinking in. She really doubted that she could finish the potion in two hours.

"Oh, I almost forgot. You'll be doing this by pair. I won't be doing much teaching this year since I presume you all have your fundamentals down." His eyes scanned the room. Maybe Laura imagined it but he seemed to linger on her for a bit. "Your partners will only last for this semester. After this, all work will be individual!"

"Professor," a Hufflepuff girl asked. "Will we get to choose our partners?"

Professor Blackwood thought for a moment. "Hmm... How about you partner up with the person right in front of you?"

 _(Oh hell no!)_

Laura looked at Carmilla's direction. The dark-haired girl surprisingly had her textbook open to the potion's page and was studying the text.

"Okay, as soon as you're ready, you may begin!"

 **==xx==**

 **Five years ago...**

"Step forward as I call your name," Professor Blackwood announced. He looked down at the paper in his hands.

"Hollis." Laura stepped forward. Professor Blackwood was pairing Gryffindor and Slytherin students with each other because he wasn't fond of the house rivalry and he was trying to change it. Laura looked around and noticed Carmilla standing right next to a dark-haired boy who Danny pointed out as William Eisen, one of Carmilla's cousins. Carmilla smirked at Laura when they made eye contact and the latter gulped and looked away.

"and Eisen." William immediately started whining. Laura stared at him because, really? He doesn't even know who she is!

"Mr. Eisen, what seems to be the matter?" Professor Blackwood asked.

"She's a mudblood!" William said, throwing his arms up in the air. Blackwood frowned and opened his mouth to (probably) berate him when Carmilla spoke up.

"Will, please. Didn't mother say that such words are unbecoming of a Karnstein? Well, in your case, Eisen but whatever." Will glared at her but kept his mouth shut. "Professor Blackwood, if I may. Just so Will can stop complaining, is it possible for you to pair Hollis up with me instead?"

Blackwood looked down at the paper and scribbled a few things. "I don't see why not. Miss Karnstein, please stand and move to the table over there with Miss Hollis."

The two of them moved to the table Blackwood pointed to. Laura thought that maybe Carmilla wasn't so bad after all...

 **==xx==**

"Carmilla, this is a pair work!" Laura said indignantly to the said girl who was just sitting with her legs propped up on the table.

"Look, cutie, just finish the first part." Laura huffed. If Carmilla wasn't going to help, fine. She'll just tell the professor when she's done and take the full credit.

Several minutes later, Laura was helplessly holding a bunch of mistletoe berries in one hand a Valerian Sprigs in the other. The Forgetfulness potion was supposed to turn green but for some reason it was still blue.

"Last ten minutes!" Professor Blackwood announced. Laura glared at her "partner" whose tie had come loose after she fiddled with it one too many times.

"Carmilla, if you're going to do anything, I suggest you do it _now."_

Carmilla looked over at the potion and scoffed. "That's easily fixable."

Laura watched in amazement as Carmilla started cutting up a few ingredients and sticking them in their cauldron. Carmilla waved her wand and slowly, the color started to turn green.

"Time's up! Hands in the air!" Everyone dutifully put their hands up. Professor Blackwood approached the cauldron's one by one. When he got to Will and his partner's, the potion blew up. Laura glanced at Carmilla who was holding back a smile. Eventually, Blackwood reached their cauldron. After inspecting it, he looked up and gave the two girls a wide grin.

"Okay! Everyone come closer. _This_ is a perfect potion..." He rattled on about techniques and tips but Laura was no longer paying attention. Carmilla had a smug smile plastered on her face and she began fixing her tie. She caught Laura staring at turned to look at her.

"What's wrong, cutie?" She asked, still smirking.

Laura's eyes widened and she looked away, her face heating up. Carmilla let out an amused chuckle and Laura frowned.

"Ten points to Gryffindor and Slytherin! Excellent job, you two. Class dismissed!" Blackwood said, waving his hands dismissively.

Everyone scrambled to grab their things and started walking out the classroom.

"See you around, Hollis," Carmilla said before catching up to Will who was waiting by the door.

Laura sighed and shook her head before walking out the room herself.

 **==xx==**

 **Present...**

Laura did all the manual labor by herself. Surprise, surprise. Or maybe it should be considering how helpful Carmilla was the previous year. She'd sometimes do the whole potion by herself, pausing once in a while to explain to Laura why she changed some of the instructions which the latter dutifully scribbled into her book.

Then again, given how things ended between them...

Laura sighed. At least Carmilla wasn't as bad as she was back in their first year. This time, she at least had the decency to tell her what to do, albeit while inserting a few insults here and there.

In the table next to them, Will and Theo kept arguing about what to do to their potion. Both of them wanted to add a few modifications but neither of them trusted what the other had in mind. After trying to force so many different ingredients over each other's shoulder, the potion started to bubble violently.

"Aw, shit!" Will said.

"For fuck's sake, Eisen. Do something!" Theo shoved Will's shoulder.

"Me?!" Will shoved him back. "You started this!"

Theo glared at him but before he could answer back, the cauldron started turning red-hot. Then it promptly exploded. Shards flew around the room and one started hurtling straight towards Laura. She froze in terror, eyes widening as it drew nearer.

" _Aresto momentum!_ " Carmilla shouted. Her wand was out and pointing at the shard. It slowed down and stopped a few inches in front of Laura's face before dropping to the floor.

Professor Blackwood rubbed his forehead. "Five points from Ravenclaw and Slytherin for that, Mr. Eisen and Mr. Straka. But ten points to Slytherin for Miss Karnstein's quick actions. Now everyone, back to work! You have ten minutes left!"

Carmilla kept her wand in her skirt pocket. Laura tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"Um... Thanks, Carmilla."

"Don't mention it, cutie." Carmilla said.

 _(So we're back to the nicknames.)_

Laura couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest at that thought. It took years for Carmilla to finally call her by her first name and then suddenly, she stops. Laura probably shouldn't have expected so much.

After Professor Blackwood checked their potions (once again, their potion was the best and both their houses received five points each), he said, "Read up on Golpalott's Third Law. We'll discuss it next meeting and you'll apply it in the one after that. If you have any questions or clarifications, you may approach me after school hours. Just ask me for an excuse slip. Class dismissed!"

Carmilla immediately stood up and dragged Will out the door before he could jinx Theo or vice-versa. Laura couldn't help but stare after her.

 **==xx==**

"So how's class?" Lex asked. They were gathered under a tree by the Black Lake. Lex was sitting against the tree, her history textbook open on her lap. Will was skipping rocks and Carmilla was lying on the ground a few feet away from Lex, eating a sandwich. Their robes were hanging on the tree's lowest branch.

Carmilla snorted. "Willy-boy, blew up a cauldron with Straka."

Will rolled his eyes and threw another rock. "Whatever. That was his fault."

Carmilla yawned before inspecting her nails. "Sure it was. Hopefully you had more fun in your elective, whatever it is."

"Alchemy, thank you very much." Will scoffed. "You know, I still don't understand why you opted to go for Muggle Studies instead of Advanced Arithmancy."

Lex raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing. Carmilla shrugged, "Mother dislikes muggles. I want to learn more about them. Maybe her disdain for them has sufficient reasoning."

"Speaking of Mother," Will turned to look at his cousins. "Why aren't the two of you accepting her offer?"

Lex sighed and closed her book. "I just don't trust her."

Will frowned. "What's not to trust? Lex, she took the both of us in after our parents died! She _saved_ us!" The older girl grimaced but said nothing. "And Kitty, she's _actually_ your mother!"

"Don't get too jealous, Mama's Boy," Carmilla drawled. She stuffed the last of her sandwich into her mouth.

Will growled and started to move forward when Lex jumped up and stood in front of him.

"Don't," she said.

Will glared at her before throwing his hands up in the air. He shouldered Lex aside before grabbing his robe from the branch, slinging it over his left shoulder and walking away.

Lex raked her hands through her hair. She slumped back onto the tree and leaned her head back.

Carmilla frowned and leaned back further into the grass, her hands coming to rest atop her stomach. They weren't always like this. Carmilla's just not entirely sure when everything started to change.

 **==xx==**

 **Five Years Ago...**

" _Wingardium Leviosa_ ," Carmilla said. The rock she was pointing at rose about a foot above the ground. She flicked her wand and the rock skipped over the lake's dark waters.

"Someone had fun in charms."

Carmilla turned around and grinned. Lex was walking towards her, cradling three books on her right arm.

"It was pretty great until some Ravenclaw kid made his feather explode," Carmilla said.

Lex laughed and stood right next to her cousin before sitting down. "Where's William?" she asked.

"Talking to the Ravenclaw boy." Carmilla levitated another rock and flicked it towards the lake again. "They got into an argument about which Quidditch team was better: the Montrose Magpies or the Ballycastle Bats."

Lex chuckled. "Well we both know who William's rooting for." She rest her hands behind her back. "Uncle Christopher was part of the Montrose Magpies, right?"

Carmilla nodded and sat down beside her cousin, keeping her wand. "Yeah. Shame we never got to see any of his games live."

Silence fell over them. Neither of them wanted to say it but they both wished that they got to know their uncle and the parents that they lost more. They didn't know much about them aside from the stories Adelaide would occasionally tell them.

Someone suddenly hooked his arms around their necks.

"Hope the two of you didn't have that much fun without me!" Will said, laughing as he let go of his cousins' necks and sat down cross-legged in between them.

"We were great until you arrived, Willy-boy," Carmilla mumbled, shoving his leg. Lex smiled and shook her head.

Will grinned. "Sure. You were. Anyway, I definitely owned Straka in that argument." He puffed his chest up, looking very proud of himself.

"I'm sure you did," Carmilla dead-panned.

Will was about to answer back when Lex interrupted him. "Speaking of Quidditch." Lex scooted around to face her cousins. "You had flying class already, right? That was your first period, if I'm not mistaken."

Carmilla nodded. "Yeah. It was great. I was one of the first to get my broom up."

Will scoffed. "I was too!"

"That's why I said _one of_ , you lackwit." Carmilla rolled her eyes.

Lex laughed. "You two should join the Quidditch team next year! I just had my try-outs last night. It's either me or this fifth year girl but bragging aside, I'm pretty sure I had better catches than her."

"Whoa. Since when did you say stuff like that?" Will asked her.

"I've always said those kinds of things, William. You just never pay attention," Lex replied, sticking her tongue out at her cousin.

"That is so not true!" Will said. "Take that back!"

Lex had a smug smile on her face. "Make me."

Will tackled her and Carmilla laughed at them as they went rolling away. Lex was obviously going to win. Will may have the height and weight advantage but Lex definitely knew how to use those against him. She'd never say this out loud but she loved her cousins. She never wanted anything change.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Special thanks to my friend, Robin for editing this for me!

I don't have much to say. I know that some students have other newspaper companies, like The Quibbler and The Daily Prophet, deliver their newspapers to the students but I thought that it would be nice for Hogwarts to have a school newspaper and it's a good way for the newspaper kids to have a cameo of some sort.

Oh and about the Hogwarts Quidditch Bazaar, IRDK where that came from haha! I kinda got the idea from the fact that the Universities in my country love selling merch. And look! Cameo from canon HP!verse characters~

Oh, btw. I don't think I can update regularly since school just started. I'll try to update once a week or once every two weeks but no promises. Anyway, thanks for reading!

If you have any other questions, you can contact me via my tumblr, selenade.


	5. Jetpack Blues

" _Did you ever love her? Do you know? Or did you never want to be alone?" - Jetpack Blues by Fall Out Boy_

* * *

Who in their right mind would schedule Defense Against the Dark Arts so early in the morning? As interesting as Professor Allaway's classes are, Laura wasn't particularly fond of dueling and what-not when she can barely open her eyes.

Joseph Allaway was a former student of Hogwarts and the current Slytherin Head of House. He was a bald, olive-skinned, stocky man with a dark Van Dyke beard. He and Professor Cochrane, the Divination professor, were the co-facilitators of The Voice of Hogwarts. He was interesting as a person but Laura wasn't comfortable with the way he would throw shade at some students, even if they deserved it. However, he was one of the handful of people who seemed to be good friends with the Headmistress.

"I assume you all have read up on the principles of casting non-verbal spells?" asked Professor Allaway. A lot of students mumbled their consent but Professor Allaway just scoffed. "Sure you did. Anyway, I numbered some dueling areas throughout the room. Take a number from my desk and proceed to the number indicated. You're only allowed to use non-verbal spells. I'll be walking around to make sure you're all doing it properly."

Laura gulped as she approached Professor Allaway's table and took a number.

 _(3. Okay so that's somewhere... Aha! Oh no.)_

Laura all but dropped her wand. William Eisen. Her dueling partner is William freaking Eisen. She was so screwed. The boy had his back turned from her. His robe was draped over a chair close by and the sleeves of his white button-down was rolled up to his elbows. He was twirling a brown wand rather carelessly.

 _(Of all people. Of all freaking people I could've gotten paired up with, I have to get paired up with the king of douche-canoes.)_

As if he could hear her thoughts, Will turned and smirked at her. "Hollis, right?"

Laura nodded and shifted uncomfortably. She removed her robe and folded it before placing it on a nearby chair. She brought out her wand and Will immediately zeroed in on it.

"What are your wand specs?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Laura looked down at her wand. "Um... Twelve inches, maple, and unicorn hair core. Why?"

Will chuckled and dropped his arms to his side. "Nothing. It's just... knowing your wand specs makes it much easier to, let's say..." He twirled his wand again. "Figure you out?"

Laura frowned. "What do you-"

Before she could finish, Will flicked his wand and an orange light burst from its tip before hitting Laura square on the chest. She stumbled and fell backwards. Laura winced in pain before slowly pushing herself back up.

Professor Allaway walked over to them. " _Everte Statum._ Very impressive Mr. Eisen but perhaps next time, make sure your opponent is ready for the duel," he said. "Three points from Slytherin for that but five for properly executing the spell." He walked away again.

Laura groaned. This was going to be a long class.

 **==xx==**

Carmilla frowned when she saw Will cast a spell against Laura who was obviously not ready. She nearly ran over to them when Laura fell backwards but her duel partner, some dark-haired Ravenclaw boy successfully cast a non-verbal spell which Carmilla recognized as _stupefy._ She promptly deflected and countered.

This went on for several minutes. After a while, Professor Allaway approached them and gave them five points each.

"You two can take a break," he said and walked away.

Carmilla went back to observing Will and Laura. She shook her head. The little fool gave Will her wand specs. Will may be a knuckle-head at times but even he knew how to figure out someone's spell-casting style based on their wand.

Laura seemed to have difficulty casting non-verbal spells. Carmilla noticed her discretely mumbling the words. Will smirked at that and launched a flurry of spells at Laura who deflected most of them. She got hit by the last three and she found herself being launched back once again.

Carmilla stiffened and her grip on her wand tightened.

"You're Karnstein, right? Carmilla?" her dueling partner suddenly asked.

Carmilla's attention was drawn away from Laura (and Will). She tried not to scowl at her partner too much. "Yeah. Why?"

His lips quirked. "My dad's friends with your mother and aunt," he said. "We go to your place every year on your mother's birthday."

 _(Mother's birthday. Party. Ball. Right. Lots of people show up.)_

Unfortunately, Carmilla still didn't recognize the boy. "Um... okay?" she said uncertainly.

"My name's Killian. My dad's Kristoffer Morgenstern." Upon seeing the confusion on Carmilla's face, Killian sighed and continued. "We bought Morgan & Duke."

Carmilla raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh. Right. Okay. That's nice. Good for you, Cajun."

"Killian."

"Whatever."

Her attention was drawn away from Killian when she heard someone yelp somewhere to her right. She turned and saw Laura clutching her right hand close to her chest. Her wand was on the floor a few feet away from her. Carmilla was tempted to jinx Will to wipe the smirk on his face when Killian cleared his throat.

This time, Carmilla couldn't stop the snarl that escaped her mouth. Killian tilted his head. "You still care about her, don't you?"

Carmilla shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Hey, I know we're not close or anything but our parents are friends so that has to count for something right?"

 _(Wow. This guy's persistent.)_

Carmilla laughed. "Wow. Honestly, I don't think mother really has _friends._ To her, friends and business partners mean the same thing."

The boy shrugged. "What I'm trying to say is that if you need to talk or anything-"

"Yeah, I don't really do that. My cousin Lex has got me covered."

Killian chuckled. "My dad's right. You're just like your father."

Before Carmilla could ask him what he meant, Killian raised his wand. "Ready to go again?"

Carmilla scoffed. "Are you?"

 **==xx==**

 **Five Years Ago...**

Carmilla watched as Laura struggled to take notes. In her defense, Professor Allaway talked really quickly.

"I have coordinated with your Potions professor," Professor Allaway suddenly said. Carmilla frowned. "Since Professor Blackwood is the Gryffindor Head of House and _I'm_ the Slytherin Head of House, I should join him in his cause to, well, try to end our houses' rivalries. That is why you will retain your partners in Potions. Hopefully, you'll get to know each other better."

Will groaned next to Carmilla. "No. No no no no. I don't like the dumb blonde."

Carmilla rolled her eyes. Laura stiffened up and she subtly (not really) glanced around the room to look for Carmilla. As soon as her eyes locked with the raven-haired girl's, she immediately whipped her head back down. Carmilla smirked.

"I'm still stuck with the Gryffindor idiot," Will continued to grumble.

"Doesn't matter, Will," Carmilla said. "You're both idiots. You'll fail, regardless."

Whatever Will was going to answer back was interrupted by Professor Allaway announcing their assignment.

"Your first pair assignment is to read up on Bowtruckles. I want you to submit a two-page report containing the following information..."

Carmilla didn't bother writing those down. She's pretty sure Little Miss Tightly Wound did so already.

"Class dismissed," Professor Allaway said. Everyone immediately got up and started walking out the door.

"Carmilla!" The said girl kept walking. "Carmilla! Hey! Wait up!" She finally stopped when Laura grabbed her arm.

Carmilla whirled and glared at Laura whose grip faltered.

"What do you want?" Carmilla asked.

Laura swallowed before speaking. "I was just wondering when and where you want to meet up for the assignment?"

Carmilla's lips quirked. "I'm free at three later. How does the library sound?"

Laura nodded eagerly. "Yeah! That, erm, that sounds great. I'll see you later?"

Carmilla tilted her head and shrugged. "Sure," she said before walking away.

 **==xx==**

 **Present...**

Danny sighed as she finished writing her essay. She didn't need to continue onto seventh year seeing as to how she was already being scouted by various Quiditch teams like Puddlemere United and the Holyhead Harpies. If she were to be honest, one of the reasons why she stayed is, well, Laura.

Danny started packing up her things. Admittedly, she did used to have feelings for Laura. How could she not? Laura was sweet, funny, smart...

Danny shook her head. Nope. That time was long gone. She and Laura were just friends now. She stayed because she knows that Laura needed as much emotional support as she can get. Laura may pretend to be unaffected by her break-up with Carmilla but Danny knew she was hurting if her reaction to The Voice of Hogwarts' article was anything to go by. As much as Danny hated to admit it, she didn't really understand why they broke up. Laura wouldn't talk, Lex said something about it "not being [her] story to tell," and, well, she wasn't exactly on first-name basis with Carmilla. Not even last name, either. Danny didn't believe all that crap about how the cause of the break-up was the stupid Quidditch game. Morticia may be immature sometimes but she's not that shallow. At this point Danny's pretty much given up trying to figure out the real reason. She figured that it'll come out when it does, one way or another.

As Danny stood up to start packing her things, somebody pulled the chair next to her and sat down on it. Danny didn't even have to look to know who it was. She could smell the excessive amounts of some muggle product.

"Kirsch, I thought you were allergic to libraries," she said. Kirsch grumbled. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his hair was fluffier than normal. His eyes were red and he was staring adamantly at the ground.

 _(Okay. Something's wrong.)_

Danny sat back down and poked Kirsch's shoulder. "Hey, what happened?"

Kirsch looked up at her. "Yeah, so SJ and I broke up."

Danny frowned. It was hard not to just straight up tell Kirsch 'I saw that coming'. But seeing the hurt puppy-dog look on his face, she just sighed and patted his back.

"Hey, it's going to be okay, Kirsch," she said.

Kirsch sniffed and suddenly turned to give her a hug. Danny tried to stifle her sound of surprise. She coughed and patted his back again.

"Thanks, D-bear," Kirsch mumbled. "It's at times like these that I'm so glad you're now one of my bros."

Danny frowned before lightly pushing Kirsch away. "D-bear?"

Kirsch wiped his eyes and shrugged. "I don't know. I was trying it out. No?"

Danny shook her head. "No."

"How about D-dog?"

"No."

"D-lion?"

"No."

"D-cow?"

"Cow?!"

"No?"

"Kirsch, stop."

"Sorry."

A grin spread across Kirsch's face and Danny couldn't help but feel satisfied. The kind of satisfied you feel after a puppy wags its tail when it sees you. Not that Kirsch was a puppy. Okay, he's kind of like an oversized Golden Retriever but there's no way she's admitting that out loud.

 **==xx==**

It was the sixth years' turn to patrol tonight. Laura was finishing her dinner when Perry approached her. She looked nervous, wringing her hands once in a while.

"Um... Laura. So I requested a copy of all the patrol schedules from Adam and, well..." Perry hesitated.

"Perry, what is it?" Laura asked. Perry looked at the spot next to Laura who scooted to let the older girl sit beside her.

"I asked Lex if she could change it or something but she seems to think communication will do you some good and, um, after listening to her whole reasoning, I have to agree but-"

"Perry, wait." Laura raised her right hand. "Slow down. What are you trying to say?"

Perry took a deep breath and exhaled heavily but before she could reply, a ruckus came up at the Slytherin table drawing their attention to it.

"What the creeping hell, Lex?!" Carmilla yelled. She stood up, banging her goblet on the table. She started to march away. Lex immediately got up and followed.

"No wait, Carm. Listen." Lex stammered out.

"Listen to what?" Carmilla growled, whirling around to face her cousin. Her lip was curled in a snarl. "You have _no right_ to meddle in my life."

"Look," Lex tried again but Carmilla pressed her palms to her face and shook her head. She dropped her arms to her side. Laura noticed that Carmilla's hands were balled into fists.

"No. Just no, Lex. Please just-" Carmilla let out a sound of frustration and stormed out of the Great Hall.

Lex closed her eyes. She pressed her right hand to her forehead and sighed.

"Alessandra," Headmistress Belmonde called out. Lex dropped her hand and turned around. "I trust that whatever the issue is, it can be resolved quickly?"

Lex clenched her jaw and raised her chin as if the Headmistress challenged her. "Don't worry. I'm sure Carmilla and I can work it out, _Mattie_." She said the Headmistress' name with such disdain and familiarity that Laura was scared that Lex would be blasted to smithereens or something. To Laura's surprise, Headmistress Belmonde just smiled as if Lex was a cute puppy that tried to act tough. She said nothing when Lex ran out the Great Hall.

"Oh don't let that stop you from enjoying your meal," Headmistress Belmonde said when she noticed everyone staring at her. "Continue."

"Well," Perry started. She swallowed and shook her head. "I should, um, I should go back to my table."

"Bye, Perry," Laura said, a little absent-mindedly.

Danny nudged Laura and leaned in. "What was that about?" she asked.

Laura shrugged. "I'm not sure, but something tells me that whatever Perry wanted to tell me had something to do with what Carmilla was raving about."

Laura's patrol area was around the Astronomy Tower. She had a feeling that Carmilla would be her patrol partner, judging by Perry and Carmilla's reactions earlier. And seeing as to how it's most likely Carmilla, she would be 15 minutes late. _Minimum._

Laura sighed. She still kind of hoped that Carmilla would show up a little earlier. After all, Carmilla mentioned once that the Astronomy Tower is her favorite spot in the entire school. If she were honest, after the things they did in the tower (innocent things, goodness) Laura had difficulty being in it without the memories playing over and over again in her head.

After 10 minutes of waiting, Laura gave up and decided to start the patrol. Carmilla can just catch up if she wants. Laura entered the Astronomy Tower. She figured that she should start from the very top and work her way down. When she reached the top, she saw someone sitting down with her back towards her.

"Excuse me!" Laura called out. "It's past curfew."

The girl turned around and smirked at Laura.

"Took you long enough, cupcake." Of course. The girl was none other than one Carmilla Karnstein.

Laura's mouth opened in surprise. "What- When did- How- Since when- Huh?"

Carmilla rolled her eyes. "And you're still so inarticulate." She stood and Laura glared at her. "So shall we start the patrol?"

Laura simply nodded and they walked in silence.

 **==xx==**

 **Five Years Ago...**

Carmilla adjusted her telescope before peering into it. She and Will were partners for Astronomy. Since her oh-so-reliable cousin couldn't operate a telescope even if his life depended on it, he was relegated to simply writing down the answers.

"You may leave when you're done finishing your datasheet!" Professor Buchanan, a short woman with medium-length brown hair, called out.

"Kitty, would you hurry up?" Will said, impatiently.

"Oh I'd like to see _you_ do this, Will," Carmilla scowled.

Her cousin rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We have, like, two more items to go and I'm sleepy."

"You're so whiny," Carmilla muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Carmilla said, feigning innocence. Will glared at her but said nothing.

Eventually, they finished and submitted their paper. Will all but ran out the tower but Carmilla asked if she could stay behind until everyone else leaves. Why not? She loved the tower ever since Mattie described it to her. It's the tallest tower in Hogwarts and it has the best view of the stars. The Slytherin common room was under the lake. She couldn't exactly see anything besides water. Sure, the tower was out-of-bounds for first years 90% of the time but when has that ever stopped Carmilla before? Lex's room in their manor was supposedly out-of-bounds but she still manages to sneak in.

 _(Okay so maybe Lex just turns a blind eye to that but still.)_

Carmilla enjoyed stargazing. She vaguely recalled that it was one of the things she and her father used to do. Somehow, it made her feel closer to him. She couldn't really explain why.

Carmilla looked around and spotted Laura with some Hufflepuff. She was laughing and smiling with her friend. She was telling stories about her father.

Carmilla felt a pang in her chest. A lot of things at her home changed after her father died. Maman was more strict and she started piling expectation after expectation on her. It was suffocating.

She sighed and looked up.

At least she still had the stars.

 **==xx==**

 **Present...**

That patrol admittedly went better than expected. Carmilla and Laura didn't argue as much as she expected but the tension in the air was palpable. She had to admit, distancing herself emotionally from Laura was pretty difficult but if she wanted Laura to stay safe, she had to. After what happened to Ell...

Carmilla rubbed her neck as she walked down to the dungeon. She stopped in front of the dark stone wall and said the password. Thankfully it wasn't anything bigoted or else she would've found Lex camped outside and adamantly refusing to enter. The last time she did that, Carmilla had to enlist Mathias Avery and Sofia Suarez to help to drag her in.

 _("Alessandra Quinn Ivers, I swear on whatever higher being exists that I will jinx you."_

 _"I don't care. You can't make me say that stupid password. I refuse. It sets Slytherin back by centuries. Who the_ hell _thinks of these passwords, anyway?"_

 _"LOL. Your second name's Quinn?"_

 _"Shut up, Sofia.")_

The wall parted to reveal the Slytherin common room and she walked in. Carmilla sighed and started to head up to her room when someone spoke up.

"Mattie wants to see you in her office."

Carmilla turned around and she saw Will lounging on one of the plush couches. He was already dressed for sleep, in a white tank top and dark green pajama pants.

"What for?" Carmilla asked.

Will shrugged and sat up. "Didn't say. Here." He handed her a slip of paper. "Just in case Filch stops you in the hallway. You know how he is. Just like his father."

Carmilla took it and huffed.

"Don't wait up, Willy-boy," she called over her shoulder.

"Wasn't planning to," Will shot back.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

Yeah so I realized that I suck at schedules so I'm just going to post when I'm free. K? I also realized that I should stop cutting my chapters in half. Unfortunately, I already did that for the next 5/6 chapters and I'm a lazy ass so I'm probs not going to fix that. They'll suddenly become twice as long after chapter 10. Onto important things

1) Killian Morgenstern - Super minor character. Like, 90% irrelevant. The only thing relevant about him is, well, you'll find out later on. It's purely for plot, I assure. You can ignore him. (Yes, yes, I pulled the surname from Mortal Instruments. He's not based on any of the characters there. I just really like the surname, okay?)br /

2) I wanted to incorporate Carmilla's whole "love for stars" hence the Astronomy Tower. What did she and Laura do there? Get your minds out of the gutter. They didn't go "stargazing". You'll find out in a few more chapters. Though, it does beg the question: Will they go "stargazing"? I will neither confirm nor /

3) Lex is the fandom. There, I said it. Lex may be super serious, but her thoughts are the fandom's. So if there's anything you guys want to say to Carmilla or Laura, I can have Lex say it if it fits the situation. Also, I'm really glad that people like her.

Special thanks to my friend, Robin, for editing this for me.

Disclaimer: We're both running on unhealthy quantities of caffeine so there's a possibility that we still missed some stuff.


	6. Sea of Lovers

_You're the only way out of this sea of lovers losing time and lovers losing hope."_ _\- Sea of Lovers by Christina Perri_

* * *

Carmilla grumbled as she entered Mattie's office followed by Filch and his stupid tabby cat, Mrs. Umbridge. She practically shoved the damn excuse slip at his face yet he still didn't believe that Mattie really _did_ ask her to come up. Something about her being good enough to use a forgery spell. While it was flattering that he thought that she was capable enough to cast such a spell, it was awfully inconvenient. She was tempted to stupefy Filch then obliviate him but voice in her head (that sounded suspiciously like a certain nosy Gryffindor) told her "That's not nice, Carmilla!" while another (that sounded just like Lex) said, "Such a thing is unbecoming of a Karnstein."

Carmilla sighed. She hated it when that happened. What happened to the girl who didn't give a fuck about rules, regulations, reputations, and all that shit?

 _(Gone soft, apparently.)_

"Miss Belmonde," Filch announced, giving Carmilla a light (not) shove. "I found this girl wandering about. She claims to have been summoned by you. She even tried to fool me with a supposed excuse slip!" He waved the slip of paper triumphantly.

The headmistress' office was circular and surrounded by windows with dark blue curtains drawn over them. A raven was watching Carmilla from a bronze perch next to one of the windows (possibly the one with a view of the mountains). Candles were floating throughout the room, casting a warm orange glow in the room. Portraits of the past Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts decorated the walls.

Mattie was seated behind an enormous mahogany desk, of her own choosing. She had the older desk replaced because "Armando Dippet had horrible taste. I mean, really? Claws? " On top of the desk, were two stacks of papers next to a gold ink pot with a navy blue quill. The Sorting Hat rested on top of the shelf behind Mattie.

"Aulus, if you could refrain from unnecessarily shoving students, you can keep your job," she said. She was smiling wide but Carmilla shuddered. There was something very unsettling about it. "And yes, I did ask Miss Karnstein to come here, so you may leave."

Filch scowled before stomping out the office. Mrs. Umbridge hissed then followed her master.

As soon as they left, Carmilla grinned. Mattie chuckled and stood up, opening her arms just in time for Carmilla to run into them. Mattie laughed and spun the younger girl around.

"Where were you all summer?" Carmilla asked as soon as Mattie set her down.

"Oh, you know your mother, darling," Mattie said, winking. "Always sending me off to do errands for her."

Carmilla chuckled. "That's true."

The cabinet pushed against the wall to the left of Mattie's desk suddenly shook, drawing Carmilla and Mattie's attention.

"What the-" A soft meow interrupted Carmilla. "Is that a vanishing cabinet?"

"Indeed, it is," Mattie said. "Your mother sent it over." She approached the cabinet, opened it and picked something in it. When she turned around, she was holding a jet black cat with piercing yellow eyes.

"Sheridan!" Carmilla said, walking forward and taking the cat from Mattie's arms. The cat snuggled into Carmilla's arms before purring in content. "When did he get out of St. Nionia's?"

"Just yesterday. William did quite a lot to your precious feline," Mattie said. She frowned and tilted her head. "I _do_ hope you didn't try to retaliate against your cousin."

Carmilla scoffed. "I did no such thing, but if something _were_ to happen to him, he had it coming."

Mattie rolled her eyes and gestured to one of the two ebony seats in front of her desk. Carmilla gladly sat down and Mattie took the seat opposite her.

"So I heard Alessandra paired you up with the tiny nymph again." Mattie conjured two silver goblets filled with hot chocolate. She took a sip from one and raised an eyebrow at her niece.

The younger girl sighed and began playing with the stem of the goblet. "Yeah, unfortunately. Lex thinks talking to her would do me some good, or something."

Mattie laughed. "Well, that's Alessandra for you." She shook her head. "I honestly don't know why you still put up with that girl. She's cold and apathetic and she's so obsessed with keeping everybody in line."

"Oh and how is that different from you, oh Wise One," Carmilla teased.

Mattie rest her chin on her fist. "Please, I'm pragmatic and I actually know how to loosen up once in a while."

"Loosen up?" Carmilla scoffed. "You and Lex practically tore at each other throats when you invited us to your estate to 'relax'." She used finger quotes for emphasis.

"Oh honey," Mattie shook her head. "That was simply me releasing some of my stress. Alessandra just so happened to be in the line of fire,"

Carmilla rolled her eyes. "Ugh. You are _such_ a drama queen. It's gross."

"Nihilist."

"Existentialist."

"Absurdist, at best."

The two stared at each other before bursting into laughter.

"So how's William?" Mattie asked as soon as they calmed down.

Carmilla scoffed and inspected her neatly-trimmed nails. "You know, same old. He's still an annoying prat."

Mattie's eyebrows shot up at that. "Your voice seems to have a lot more disdain than usual.

"Really now? Because I'm pretty sure I've always had this amount when it comes to him," the younger girl spat out.

"Darling, please. Does this have something to do with what happened during your Quidditch match last year?" Carmilla simply scowled. "Look, I don't blame William for doing what he thought he had to do to win. It's a very Eisen trait." Mattie put a hand on her niece's knee. "If anyone's to blame, it's Alessandra."

Carmilla frowned. "How come?"

Mattie chuckled and leaned back into her seat. "Well, if she wasn't so busy dilly-dallying with Ms. Fitzroy, she would have been more focused on your match and William wouldn't need to do," Mattie made a circular motion with her right hand. "all _that_."

Carmilla thought about it. She knew that Lex didn't 'dilly-dally' but she also knew that Mattie didn't get along with her for one reason or another so arguing would be pointless. "Perhaps," she said, instead.

Mattie waved her hand as if banishing something she didn't like. "Enough about your cousins. I want to know about _you_. How has my little monster been?"

 **==xx==**

"Look, Laura. I honestly have no idea why I still have to take Transfiguration," LaF said as they walked with Laura to Classroom 1B where their Transfiguration class was being held. "I'm a Metamorphmagi! I can transfigure myself naturally!"

Laura chuckled as she shook her head. "That's great, LaF but what if you have to transfigure someone else? You might turn someone into a sea urchin instead of just slightly altering their appearance!"

LaF mumbled something along the lines of "I'd do that on purpose." That made Laura laugh out loud and the two of them walked into their Transfiguration class. The two took their seats up front. Their professor wasn't there yet so they sighed in relief. Professor Magnussen was a great teacher but she was just... really strict. And uptight. And intimidating. Last year, she transfigured a Gryffindor boy into a shrew for being late to class and trying to suck up to her. Nobody really knows how that slipped Headmistress Belmonde's attention. Either way, nobody really wanted to try anything afterward.

The sound of someone giggling caught Laura's attention. She slowly turned her head towards the source of the sound. She saw that it was her house's seeker, Elsie. She was seated right next to the one and only Carmilla Karnstein. Laura resisted the urge to throw up all over the floor. She should've seen this coming. Carmilla was a notorious flirt and it shouldn't have been surprising that she would go back to her… ways after they broke up.

(Laura was afraid to really think back because if she did, she would have realized that she was the only one her ex-girlfriend seriously flirted with.)

LaFontaine nudged her and Laura nearly got whiplash with how fast she turned her head.

"Yeah?" She asked LaF who was looking at her with her a smug smile on their face.

"You're staring," they simply said.

Laura was pretty sure her face took on a tinge of pink. "What? No. Definitely not staring at Carmilla. You're making things up."

If it was possible, LaF's smirk grew even wider. "I never said what, or rather, _who_ you were staring at."

Laura's mouth opened slightly. "But you- you said- you practically implied-"

LaFontaine laughed. "Laura, relax before you get an aneurysm." Laura glared at her friend. "And close your mouth before something flies in it."

She clamped her mouth shut but continued glaring.

Another round of giggling came and Laura resisted the urge to look. Thankfully, their professor walked into the room and their class started.

 **==xx==**

 **Four years ago…**

After a year in Hogwarts, one would think that Laura would have adjusted to the Wizarding World. That was only half-true. Sure, she got used to seeing strange things but that didn't mean that those would stop amazing her. For instance, their professor was showing them how to turn beetles into buttons. Sure, she already read about all the things she would be learning to do at Transfiguration class but seeing them in action was a completely different story.

Laura probably looked completely in awe because she could hear some of those who weren't raised in muggle environments snickering, probably at her. She ducked down in an effort to hide her reddening cheeks. Her friend, Betty Spielsdorf, scooted closer to her so their arms were bumping. Betty turned to glare at whoever was laughing.

"Don't mind them, Hollis. They're prats. They won't be laughing after you beat them in the written exams _again_ ," she said. Laura nodded.

She and Betty had a really odd friendship. Betty was a brilliant witch in her own right but she wasn't exactly fond of exerting a lot of effort. The homework Laura would so eagerly do, Betty would put off until an hour before they were due, claiming that they were boring. Betty's muggle father, George Spielsdorf, is a high-ranking officer in the British military while her mother, Elena, worked in Muggle Relations. Betty's family would spend the first half of the summer with George. During the second half, she and her mother would stay with Elena's parents. That was probably why Betty is always so unfazed when it comes to the Wizarding World. Laura couldn't help but wonder that if her mother was alive, would she have been like Betty?

Another round of snickering. Betty was about to turn and glare at them when they were shushed by someone else.

Carmilla hit Will, who was one of the people laughing at Laura. Will glared at Carmilla who glared back. Will rolled his eyes and turned to his other friends. Carmilla turned to look at Laura and winked at her. Laura shook her head and Carmilla grinned. The two of them certainly got along better after they set aside their differences during the previous year. Carmilla became Laura's unofficial tutor and Laura became Carmilla's unofficial guide to the muggle world. Carmilla also got Laura interested in Quidditch. There was something about flying that gave Laura a sense of freedom. Growing up with an overprotective father made Laura feel trapped. Yes, she loved her father and she knew that he was only that way because of what happened to her mother. That didn't stop her from wishing he'd be more lenient with her. She was in a school of magic for crying out loud!

On another note, Danny mentioned something about there being an opening for a chaser for the Gryffindor quidditch team. Laura still wasn't very familiar with the specifics so Carmilla offered to help train her. Apparently, she and her cousin play a lot with the kids of her mother's associates during the summer. Carmilla mentioned something about not getting along with their "elitist asses".

Laura was pulled out of her musings when their professor cleared her throat and all but shooed them out of the room. Betty bumped her as they exited.

"Hey so are you still planning to try-out for Quidditch?" she asked her. "Try-outs are in two weeks!"

Laura swallowed and shrugged. "I'm not very sure. I mean, I don't think I'm good enough."

Betty scoffed. "Please, Laura. You were surprisingly one of the best in flying class last year.

"Yeah but Quidditch is different!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I grew up in a muggle environment. Sure Madame Teaño taught us the basics but I can't exactly practice on my own."

"I think I can help with that." Sometime during her conversation with Betty, Carmilla made her way to Laura's side. "I _did_ offer to train you this year. Besides," Carmilla said. "I could use some practice myself."

Laura remembered Carmilla mentioning that she wanted to try out for seeker this year.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "I mean, I don't want to be a bother or anything. I don't even have a broom!"

Carmilla waved her off. "Don't worry about that, sugar. I can borrow my cousin's."

Betty prodded Laura's back when she hesitated. Laura glared at her friend who raised her eyebrows. "Okay fine."

Carmilla grinned. "Great. I'll see you tonight, Sundance."

Laura's eyes widened. "Wait. Tonight?!" she called after Carmilla who started to walk the other way.

"Yeah! Wear a sweater or something!"

Betty snickered as Laura's jaw dropped. She tapped Laura's chin prompting Laura to clamp her mouth shut.

 **==xx==**

It was nearly 11 in the evening and Carmilla still hasn't returned from the Quidditch pitch. Lex was starting to think that _maybe_ , just maybe, she should've accompanied her cousin. Unfortunately, the excuse slip Mattie gave Carmilla was only for her, supposedly. Lex also wasn't sure why Carmilla needed two brooms though she had a hunch.

Just then, the stone wall behind the couch Lex was sitting on slid open and she stood up.

"It's late," Lex said as soon as Carmilla entered the common room carrying two brooms. "And I still want to know why you borrowed my broom."

Carmilla looked up at her cousin and just smirked. "I was practicing for the try-outs next week, Lex. Relax." She tossed one of the brooms to her cousin who caught it with ease.

"That still doesn't explain why you needed two brooms."

Carmilla didn't answer but Lex could see that she was trying (and failing) to hide a smile.

"You were helping out that Hollis girl, weren't you?" Lex asked, though it was more like a statement than a question. The two of them started walking down to the rooms of their respective years.

Carmilla shrugged and the older girl sighed. "Hey, I'm not judging. I just wanted to be sure." Lex scratched the back of her head. "Whose broom did you make her use?"

Carmilla scoffed. "Don't worry, Lex. I let her use mine."

Lex shook her head but smiled. "You're definitely helping this girl because you _like_ her."

The younger girl rolled her eyes. "I don't like how you stressed the word like."

"Why because it's true?" Carmilla said nothing. She just shook her head and Lex grinned. "So who's going to tell Will about this? You or me?"

Carmilla whirled around, eyes widening. "Don't. You. Dare."

Lex laughed, hitting her cousin's arm and walked past her. "Go to sleep, Carm. We're getting up early tomorrow."

Carmilla groaned before pushing the door to the bedroom of the second years.

 **==xx==**

 **Present...**

Quidditch try-outs were tiring for Lex. Sure, the same things happen each year but having to observe the newcomers and trying to see which tactics would fit who made her brain hurt. Lex made everyone do the standard exercises and drills with the veterans demonstrating for the ones trying to make the team. Will was still required to show up even though he was on suspension. She needed his opinions on the potential beaters. Lex couldn't deny that he _is_ their best beater.

The last exercise she made everyone do was the scrimmaging. This was the favorite part of the existing team members because they got to show off their skills. On the other hand, it was Lex's most hated one because she usually ended up as referee and that meant having to dodge quaffles and bludgers that headed her way courtesy of those trying out (in this case, two potential keepers, and four potential beaters). Her three current beaters and the other keeper flew up to the stands and were now sitting to observe the match.

Lex heard a whistling sound coming from behind her and promptly ducked as a bludger whizzed over her head. She sighed and turned around to look at the one responsible. It was the fourth year girl, Rachel Silk. She gave Lex a sheepish grin before dodging a bludger from another beater. Rachel seemed to be the strongest beater trying out. She just needed to work on her aim. Lex would have to consult with Will about that, a conversation she wasn't looking forward to. Things were tense between them after she suspended him from two of their games. It wasn't an easy decision to make but it was necessary.

Lex side-stepped to dodge yet another bludger. She looked up at the two seekers and nodded, signaling them to catch the snitch. Carmilla grinned and immediately dived down with the other seeker, Elliot, right behind her. Carmilla seemed to adjust to the Firebolt quite easily. Lex's throat suddenly felt tight. She shook her head trying to clear the feeling.

"And Silver Team wins!" Lex yelled. A few groans of disapproval came from the ones trying out.

Of course Carmilla would catch it. Lex wouldn't expect anything less of her cousin.

"I'll be posting the results on our common room's announcement board tomorrow after dinner. In the meantime, take ten before we cool down," Lex said as soon as everyone alighted and gathered in front of her.

Carmilla walked up to her. Lex noticed her eyeing one of the fifth years, a girl who was also trying out for beater. Lex did her best to stop her face from showing her distaste at that. Sure, Carmilla had her heart broken but Lex didn't think that it excused her from flirting with random girls, getting their hopes up, sometimes getting in their robes, then not talking to them ever again. Well, there was nothing Lex could do about that. They all had different ways of coping with their respective woes. Lex threw herself on schoolwork and Quidditch, Carmilla threw herself on girls, and Will, well…

 _(Became an even bigger prat.)_

Lex nearly laughed out loud at that thought.

"That sixth year girl," Carmilla started. "What's her name again?"

Lex frowned. "The redhead?" Carmilla nodded. Lex glanced at the sheet she had in her hands. "Isabelle. Why?"

Carmilla smirked. "Eh. Just curious." Lex looked sternly at her cousin who rolled her eyes. "Come on, Lex. We're just going to have a little fun. Mattie's right. You _do_ need to loosen up."

Lex glared at her cousin as she sauntered away. This probably makes Isabelle the fifth girl Lex observed her cousin flirting with.

Will probably noticed the glare on Lex's face because he sidled up to her. "What's Kitty up to now?"

Lex closed her eyes and shook her head. "The usual, unfortunately."

Will scoffed. "You going to suspend her for misbehaving too?" An obvious jab.

Lex's lips twitched. "Well, Will, unlike you, Carmilla doesn't do anything unnecessary during a match."

"Yeah, well Ravenclaw's chaser was on a roll and you were distracted for one reason or another. I had to take her out."

Lex nearly lunged at her cousin when Sofia stepped between them. "Yo, Cap. Five minutes are up. You gonna lead the cool down or not? Because I'm down with being pseudo-cap," she said in a sing-sing voice.

Lex inhaled deepy before chuckling. She put her right hand on the shorter girl's head and pressed down. "In your dreams, Suarez." Sofia yelped and swatted Lex's hand away.

At least she still had some friends.

 _(Unless I end up pushing them away too.)_

Lex glanced at Carmilla. She was really bringing up her A-game, whatever that was.

Lex was going to have a talk with Mattie. She made a mental note to put some defense charms on herself before going to her office just in case her darling aunt decides to try and tear her throat out as a cheetah again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Sorry for updating late. I had exams to study for, and post-labs + papers to write. Also, I didn't really like this chapter so I wrote and re-wrote it several times.

Once again, thank you to my friend, Robin, for editing this for me. Special thanks to my girlfriend for motivating me to write and for walking me through describing things.

1) We're starting to get to the Quidditch bits so yeah. Can't wait 'til we get there. Those were my favorite parts to write.

2) Mattie-Carmilla moments! Yes, I know that Mattie's supposed to be Carmilla's sister but I planned out her character before she showed up in the Web Series. She wasn't supposed to be related to any of them in the first place (she was just supposed to be an acquaintance of Adelaide) but after seeing her in the web series, I just HAD to change that. Hence the aunt bit. I hope it works for this story.

3) I made a little blog for Lex on tumblr. It's called lexistired. Go check it out if you want. I put links to the songs I used there. Also, I use the tags "J1Y" and "Carmilla HP!AU"

For anyone still following this story, thanks for doing so and thanks for being super patient!


	7. Once Upon Another Time

_"Once upon another time, before I knew which life was mine, before I left the child behind me, I saw myself in summer nights and stars lit up like candle light. I make my wish but mostly I believed…" - Once Upon Another Time by Sara_ Bareilles

* * *

 **One month later...**

It was the morning of the first Quidditch match of the year: Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff. Carmilla's stomach was turning. She hasn't been this nervous for a match since second year. She knew that a lot of people would be watching her house with a critical eye after what happened the previous year. Sure, they still won the Quidditch Cup because of the huge point difference in their game with Hufflepuff but nobody cared. In the eyes of the Hogwarts student population, Gryffindor was the real winner of the Quidditch Cup.

Carmilla looked over to the Hufflepuff table. Their entire team looked happy and just generally excited to play. It was a stark contrast to her house where everyone was sullen and serious. Once upon a time, Slytherin was one of the livelier ones pre-game. The Hufflepuff captain, Bradley Michaelson was making a rousing speech to the rest of his house. Something about them being a community and always supporting each other. Whatever.

On the other hand, Lex was nowhere to be found. She said something about looking for Will. Will had been disappearing a lot lately and Lex was getting suspicious. Admittedly, so was Carmilla. When she brought up her concerns to Mattie, her aunt just said that Will was probably just avoiding them.

Just then, the doors to the Great Hall burst open and Lex marched in dragging Will by the neckline of his Quidditch sweater. Will, on the other hand, was grumbling and squirming. Lex threw Will down near Carmilla and drew her wand out, pointing it at Will. Carmilla jumped out of her seat and moved back, eyes wide. Lex without her wand was scary enough but when she was actually holding it? Nobody wanted to be within the kill-zone.

"Lex, what the hell is this?" Carmilla said. She could feel the rest of the school staring at them and it made her feel uneasy. Lex usually didn't like this kind of attention but now she was willingly calling it to them.

"Ask William over here," Lex spat out.

"Lex, wait," Will said. He pushed himself up. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to be sure that we were going to win."

Lex's eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Will chuckled and rest his right arm on a bench. Carmilla couldn't believe he still had the nerve to do that. "You're distracted. It's unbelievable. I just thought that if I jinxed Hufflepuff's brooms, they'd have more trouble scoring."

The tip of Lex's wand started glowing dangerously. Carmilla could practically see Will trembling. Lex _was_ terrifying if she wanted to be. Who knows what she would do to Will? Something that could get her expelled, probably. But the old Lex wouldn't dare do anything. She was calm, composed, and rational. Carmilla didn't recognize the person in front of her.

"Lex, that's enough," she said, slowly moving forward as if approaching a dangerous animal. She put her hand on Lex's wand and pushed it down, bringing it to her cousin's side.

"I'm _not_ distracted," Lex said through gritted teeth. Will's eyes practically screamed 'prove it'. Lex turned to the Ravenclaw table, eyes meeting with a short-haired brunette."I'm glad you're okay now but I swear on whatever higher being exists that if you get in our way again, you're finished."

Clara's lips parted slightly, a look of hurt flashing in her eyes. Lex turned away even as Adam stood up and started yelling at her, demanding her to apologize. Lex's eyes were unreadable, but she glared at Will before looking up to the rest of her house.

"Slytherin Quidditch players, we have a meeting at the usual." And with that she briskly walked out of the Great Hall.

Carmilla looked around to gauge the reactions of everyone else. The Ravenclaws looked either shocked or outraged. Adam walked over to a Hufflepuff player and said something to him. The rest of the Hufflepuffs were huddled together and whispering to one another. The Gryffindors were mostly stunned to silence which was really rare. The Gryffindors are usually the noisiest. Carmilla's eyes landed on Laura and she felt her insides grow cold. Laura was looking everywhere but at her and Carmilla couldn't help but worry.

 _(Does she think I'd say the same to her?)_

Really, anything's possible. And Carmilla wasn't feeling very optimistic.

Mathias dragged Will up to stand and Sofia put her hand on Carmilla's shoulder.

"Come on, Karnstein. Cap's waiting."

 **==xx==**

 **Four years ago...**

Carmilla noticed her cousin had been hanging around the library a lot. Yes, Lex was total bookworm but this was too much. Carmilla was thinking about going there to check (spy) on her cousin when hands suddenly covered her eyes.

The smell of cookies gave the person away and Carmilla smiled, wrapping her hands around the wrists of the person.

"Cupcake, please," she said, pulling Laura's hands down. "If you want to surprise me, it won't work. Your food gives you away." Carmilla turned in her seat to look at the Gryffindor girl who had a pout on her face.

Laura plopped down to sit next to Carmilla, her back on the table.

"You look nervous," Laura said.

Carmilla nearly choked on her drink. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Laura giggled. "Carm, please. You're usually so calm but now you're fidgeting." Carmilla stopped her leg from bouncing. "And when you walked in, your eyes kept darting from side-to-side."

Carmilla sighed. "You're a lot more observant than I thought, pop tart."

Laura grinned but put her hands over Carmilla's which were resting on the table. "Relax, Carm! You can do this! Don't mind anyone else. Just focus on that stitch."

"Snitch."

"Yeah, that thing." Laura smiled. "You got this so stop fretting!"

Carmilla gave Laura a small smile. "Thanks, Laura."

Laura feigned surprise. She put a hand on her chest. "Oh Merlin's beard! Did you just call me by my first name? Quick! Someone check her! She might be sick!"

Carmilla rolled her eyes and pushed Laura. "Don't get used to it, creampuff."

Laura giggled and Carmilla couldn't help but smile.

 **==xx==**

 **Present...**

The quaffle was thrown in the air and the game started. Laura watched Carmilla fly up to get a better view of the pitch. Laura knew that she mostly stops the other seeker from getting the snitch until Slytherin gets a satisfactory lead. It was a smart tactic, one that the other houses tried to do before (didn't really work. Apparently, there was only so much stopping you could do without it being considered a foul.) Laura had no doubt that Carmilla could pull it off. Laura loved LaFontaine as a friend but she knew they weren't willing to go as fast as Carmilla would. Something about the speed being too dangerous. Sure, LaF liked pushing the limits, but Carmilla practically breaks them.

Laura's attention was drawn to the Slytherin side of the pitch as the house cheered.

"Ivers' reflexes have gotten faster," Danny commented, beside Laura. The redhead was observing the match intently, probably analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each member and forming tactics against them.

There was a yelp when one of the Hufflepuff beaters' bats was knocked off his hand. Will winked and pointed a finger gun at him. The beater glared and swooped down to retrieve his bat which proved to be difficult, having to dodge so many things.

The match carried on, Slytherin had a two hundred-point lead and Carmilla was now chasing the snitch. Danny started to stretch. The match was going to be over soon, a sure win for Slytherin. That's when Laura noticed Adam Martin, in the Ravenclaw stands, nod to one of the Hufflepuff beaters, Bash Cooper who grinned. Bash intercepted a bludger and sent it hurtling towards Lex who was too busy blocking a quaffle. The bludger hit Lex square in the stomach, knocking her off her broom. She landed on the ground below with a dull thud.

Slytherin and a few others from the rest of the houses (Laura and Danny included) jumped to their feet and started yelling in protest. Others simply laughed and cheered. Madame Teaño called time-out and gave Bash a red card but the damage was done. Substitutions weren't allowed in Quidditch. That exchange caused the seekers to lose sight of the snitch. Laura could practically hear Carmilla swearing.

"Bash couldn't have thought of that by himself," Danny muttered. "Theoretically, yes but he wouldn't actually. I get that they want to win but that was too far."

"Do you think Lex is going to be okay?" Laura asked. It looked pretty bad but a lot of Quidditch injuries did and most of them turned out okay in the end.

Danny shrugged and sighed. "I don't know."

Carmilla couldn't stop swearing. God fucking dammit. Adam Martin is a shit head and everyone knew it. He wasn't playing but Carmilla knew, she just fucking did, that he was behind all this crap. Lex wasn't moving when they carried her away. Without a keeper, Hufflepuff could pretty much score freely. She had to find that stupid fucking snitch as fast as possible.

The whistle was blown and the match resumed. Carmilla flew up again to get a better view. Will was working overtime, sending so many bludgers in the way of the quaffles, and even the chasers themselves. Carmilla knew he was itching to send a bludger towards the Hufflepuff keeper _(poetic justice or some crap like that)_ but he didn't need any more heat.

They lost fifty points from their lead and Carmilla was getting desperate. If LaFontaine catches the snitch before she does, Slytherin loses. Just then, a glint caught Carmilla's eye. The snitch. She swore and dove after it. LaFontaine noticed her and flew right after her. They were right behind her and were starting to move up next to her. Carmilla gritted her teeth. She and LaFontaine may be on different teams but she actually got along well with them when she was dating Laura. In Carmilla's opinion, LaFontaine was the second fastest seeker. That earned them her respect.

Carmilla leaned forward, urging her broom to go faster. Soon enough, she was pulling ahead of LaFontaine. She was going at a dangerous speed, sure, but she needed to win this. Carmilla stretched her left hand forward. The snitch was right at her fingertips. She could hear Hufflepuff screaming as yet another goal was scored. Carmilla gritted her teeth and pushed forward, hand closing around the snitch. She flew up, raising her closed fist. The wings of the snitch were poking out, a clear indication that the snitch had been caught.

Madame Teaño used the _sonorous_ charm on herself before speaking. "Carmilla Karnstein has caught the snitch! Slytherin wins the game with a two hundred ten-point lead!"

Carmilla nearly fell off her broom in relief. Chants of "Karnstein! Karnstein!" came from the Slytherin stands. Will even gave her a thumbs up. And because it was an old habit she still hadn't shaken off, she looked towards the Gryffindor stands and her eyes found Laura's.

 **==xx==**

 **Four years ago…**

Carmilla now understood why Lex loved Quidditch so much. She was raising the snitch she caught over her head. And a good chunk of the crowd was cheering for her. It was euphoric. She turned to look at Laura was jumping up and down the Gryffindor stands. The ginger next to her was grudgingly give her a look of approval.

Carmilla couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face upon seeing Laura. Sure, the other girl didn't make Gryffindor's team. But she remained optimistic, saying that she could just try again the following year.

The entire Slytherin team dismounted and started to head towards the showers. Their captain was saying something about keeping up the good work when a tiny body crashed into hers. The captain stared for a moment before rolling his eyes and gesturing for everyone to go ahead. He gave Carmilla a look that said "Take your time" before turning to follow the rest of the team.

Carmilla patted Laura's back. "Creampuff, I'm sweaty and probably smell gross, could you let go?"

Laura scoffed and pulled back, nose wrinkling as she did so. "Yeah you _do_ stink. Does this mean I have to shower too?"

Carmilla rolled her eyes and playfully pushed Laura's arm. "You were the one who decided to hug me, spaz."

Laura pouted. "When are you going to start calling me by my actual name?"

Carmilla shrugged. "When I feel like it, I guess," she said.

Laura glared at her which caused Carmilla to grin.

"What's funny?" Laura demanded.

Carmilla chuckled and shook her head. "Nothing. It's just that the bunched-up face you make when you're angry is _hilarious_ , Buttercup."

Laura just shook her head and grabbed Carmilla's arm. "Let's get you to the showers, Stinker."

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. "Stinker? That's the best you can come up with?"

"Shut up!"

 **==xx==**

 **Present…**

Carmilla trudged into the Great Hall. She and Will visited Lex in the infirmary. The nurse told them that Lex had a few cracked ribs from the bludger and a sprained arm from her landing. When Carmilla asked her how her cousin's injuries weren't as serious as expected, she just shrugged and said, "Someone must have cast a spell to soften the blow. And it was a good thing too! You could have lost your cousin, here. Thank Madame Teaño. She was probably the one who did."

Carmilla had a feeling that Madame Teaño wasn't the one responsible for saving Lex but she didn't say that out loud. Will thanked the nurse and left. Carmilla stayed for a moment, hoping her cousin would wake up, but the nurse said she'll be out for the day and that with the right potions, she'll back in shape.

Carmilla hoped so. Lex was pretty much the only one she could confide in.

 _(Well, her and Mattie.)_

The entire Slytherin table was quiet despite their victory. If Lex doesn't recover in time for their next match that means their back-up keeper would have to go up. Mac was good, sure, but he didn't actually like playing.

 _(Pretty much why he's just back-up)_

Somebody cleared their throat behind her. Carmilla turned around and found herself face-to-face with Perry and Bash Cooper. It was a strange sight. Bash, at 6'5", had his shoulders hunched and he looked painfully embarrassed. Perry, who was no doubt _much_ shorter than Bash, had her chin raised, and a stern expression on her face.

"Carmilla, there's something Bash would like to say to you," Perry said. She nudged Bash who looked down and scratched the back of his head.

"Um… Hey Karnstein, I, uh," he stammered. Perry nudged him again, harder this time. "I'm sorry! Okay, there. I'm sorry. That was a dick move, hitting your cousin with a bludger, I mean."

The boy looked like he was melting under Perry's intense glare so Carmilla just sighed and said, "Apology accepted." And she waved him away. Bash scampered away as fast as he could, knocking a few people aside by accident.

Perry stayed behind. "How's Alessandra, Carmilla?" She asked. She was wringing her hands together, the only indication that she was nervous.

Carmilla shrugged. "She's out but the nurse said she'd be back in no time." Perry opened her mouth as if to say something else then she closed it, frowning so hard Carmilla was afraid her face would stay that way. "Look, ginger, if you're not going to say anything else, you can go. No one's stopping you.

Just then, some of the Ravenclaws entered the Great Hall, talking loudly as they did.

"I mean, did you see her face when the bludger hit her stomach?" Adam asked them.

"Man, she's always so stoic when we play during summer." Carmilla recognized Killian among them and she felt her blood boiling. She knew there was a reason why she didn't like that boy.

"I'm not saying she deserved it but," Theo said. He smirked and shrugged. "She deserved it." The rest of the boys laughed at that.

Carmilla was up in no time. She could hear Perry calling out her name but she didn't care. All she could see was red. She marched up to Theo, and called out "Hey asshole!" before shoving his shoulder, startling him.

"What the-" Theo started. He never got to finish. Carmilla swung her left hand as hard as she could. She felt something crunch underneath her fist. Theo fell to the ground, his nose bleeding profusely, and Carmilla smirked in satisfaction.

Adam and the rest of the Ravenclaw boys were about to lunge at her when light exploded between them. Carmilla skidded across the floor due to the force of the spell. She turned to see Professor Magnussen with her wand out. She looked sternly at Carmilla.

"Karnstein, the Headmistress' office," she said.

Carmilla stood up and brushed herself. "What? But-"

"You're the one who attacked first." Carmilla didn't budge. " _Now_ , Karnstein."

Carmilla gritted her teeth but walked out of the Great Hall. She bumped someone on the way out.

"Carm, are you okay?" It was Laura. Carmilla felt a pang in her chest but she shrugged the other girl off and went on her way.

 **==xx==**

Laura was trying not to let Carmilla's lack of response get to her. Yeah, it sucked but if that's how she wanted to go about things, then fine.

Laura hoped, though. She hoped that maybe Carmilla looking at her at the end of the Quidditch match meant that there was still a chance that they could talk and fix whatever happened. The short exchange at the entrance of the Great Hall crushed all that. Carmilla was still unresponsive and emotionally distant.

"Hey Laura, you're spacing out again," LaFontaine said. Laura sat up straight and found that her friends were staring at her.

She scratched the back of her head. "Sorry guys. I'm just tired."

Danny looked at her skeptically but said nothing.

"Hey guys! What'd I miss?" Kirsch said. He sat down next to Danny and picked a fry of her plate. She slapped his hand, making him yelp and drop it.

The group was sitting at the Hufflepuff table this time. Danny had been drilling LaFontaine about anything they could have noticed about the Slytherin players while they were on the pitch. She really wanted to win this year and Laura admired her friend's determination.

"Well, Elvira socked Theo. Was a great hit too," Danny said before taking a bite out of a burger. "The nurse is currently checking his nose. It was bleeding and Adam was saying something about it being broken."

Kirsch looked surprised. "Damn! Didn't know angry hottie could pack a punch. Shame I missed it."

"Hey Laura," LaFontaine started. "You passed by her on your way in, right? Did she say anything?"

Laura shook her head. "Still radio silence. Honestly, I'm starting to doubt that we'll actually talk about anything outside schoolwork so..."

"How about when you two go on patrol?" Perry asked.

Laura sighed and shook her head. "She mostly just makes rude comments. I know I had the love goggles on for a while but did I _really_ not notice any of those?"

Perry patted her back. "Well, in your defense, Laura, Carmilla may have been rude and abrasive to a lot of people, but with you she turned into a harmless little kitten."

Danny choked and Kirsch patted her back. LaFontaine couldn't help but giggle. Perry looked disapprovingly at them but Laura couldn't help but smile a little.

" _That_ was a _terrible_ image, Perry," Danny said. "I mean, Morgana? A kitten?"

Laura shrugged. "I don't know, Danny. It actually suits her."

Danny fake-retched. "Please stop before you give us any gross details."

Laura smiled. Her friends continued to joke around. She couldn't help but wonder how Carmilla was doing. Headmistress Belmonde wasn't exactly the most lenient person around.

 **==xx==**

"Darling," Mattie started. She tutted as she circled Carmilla who was seated on one of the chairs in her office. "Why in the world did you hit that boy?"

Carmilla snorted. "Who?"

Mattie glared at her. "That Ravenclaw boy, Straka."

Carmilla shrugged. "He had it coming. He said Lex deserved what happened to her."

Mattie sighed and sat down next to Carmilla. "I'm sorry to say this, love, but she did." Carmilla frowned and was about to protest when Mattie raised a hand. "Your cousin is so self-righteous and selfish. She will do _anything_ to look good in the eyes of your mother. Why? Because she's not actually Adelaide's daughter. _You_ are."

Carmilla's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that Lex is jealous of me?"

Mattie scoffed. "What do you think?" When Carmilla still didn't look convinced, Mattie shook her head. "Have you ever wondered why Adelaide suddenly thought your doll was distracting you and preventing you from achieving your 'full potential'?" Carmilla said nothing. "That was because Lex told her. Your mother wrote to me asking what she should do."

Mattie stood up, went around her desk, and opened a drawer. She sifted through the papers in it before pulling one out and handing it to her niece.

Carmilla took it. It was a letter in her mother's handwriting. Her mother laid out the details of things that apparently Lex told her. They were about her and her relationship with Laura. There were a few unflattering comments about Laura being a half-blood. The letter ended with her asking Mattie whether forcing Carmilla to end the relationship will work or not.

Carmilla's mind reeled. How could Lex do this? She couldn't believe her cousin was capable of such things. Except, no. Carmilla remembered how callously she suspended William, how she would threaten reporting his mishaps to mother. Carmilla just didn't think she'd actually do that to her. Memories of Lex being the protective older cousin suddenly seemed fake.

 _(Was it all an act?)_

It must have been. That's the only explanation that would make sense at the moment. Carmilla felt like her whole world was ripped away.

Mattie looked on sympathetically. "Darling, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way." Carmilla realized that her eyes were watery and she hastily wiped them.

"No, no. It's okay." She let out a shaky breath. "Thank you for telling me."

Mattie nodded. Carmilla placed the letter on the desk and Mattie sat down. "The Board of Governors will frown at me if I don't do anything about what you did." She pulled out a piece of parchment and picked up her quill. She started writing things down. "How about going through the Forbidden Forest to make sure no other student wandered in?"

Carmilla scoffed. "Seriously? I thought the Forest was forbidden for a reason."

Mattie smirked. "Please, your… _abilities_ are more than enough to keep you safe, my little monster."

Carmilla rolled her eyes. Obviously Mattie knew what she could do. "Fine. When do I go?"

Mattie finished writing then handed the paper to Carmilla. "Tonight, show this to Aulus when he stops you."

Carmilla nodded and stood up, thanking Mattie and turning to leave.

"Oh and Carmilla!" Mattie called. "Try not to punch any more students."

Carmilla chuckled. "I'll try."

 **==xx==**

 **Four years ago...**

Carmilla found herself sitting next to Lex in Mattie's office, trying hard not to smile. Lex was stoic like usual, but her eyes had a mischievous glint in them.

"What will your mother say when she finds out about this?" Mattie asked them. She had been pacing back and forth, talking about responsibility before stopping in front of the cousins and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"She'll probably scold us for _my_ action while getting back at that boy's father," Lex said, casually. When Mattie narrowed her eyes, Lex shrugged. "What? He insulted my cousin. Do you really think I was going to let him get away with it?" She shook her head. "No. Any insult directed at Carmilla or William is an insult to me. I thought you'd understand that."

Lex's lips quirked and Carmilla could tell that if she was itching to flash a smug smile at Mattie.

Their aunt sighed. "Good point, Alessandra," she relented. "I'll hold off telling Adelaide but if this happens again, you'll get more than just detention by sorting out files."

Carmilla's eyes bugged out. "Wait what?" She glanced at the piles of paper behind Mattie. "Can't you just do that with magic?"

Mattie shook her head. "And how will you learn?"

Lex started to stand. "Wait, Mattie. _I_ was the one who actually hit that boy. Carm shouldn't be punished too!"

"She jumped in, she should be here too." Lex looked at Carmilla apologetically. The latter just shrugged. "If you can fight someone without your wand, you can sort files without it as well." Mattie clapped twice. "Now hurry, you two! Those papers won't sort themselves."

Carmilla made a show of grumbling all the way to the papers. Lex on the other hand, was red in the face. Carmilla couldn't help but grin at that. Sure the punishment was harrowing in its own way, but at least she wasn't alone. Her cousin would always have her back.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Sorry, I completely forgot to update here too. _ I kinda focus more on my ao3 account. Anyway...

This story is going to get happier, I swear. Anyway, special thanks once again to my friend Robin for editing this for me! IDK when I'll be able to update again. Finals week is approaching so yeah.

If you have any questions for me, go to .com

If you have any qeustions for Lex, go to .com


	8. Dust to Dust

" _You're like a mirror, reflecting me. Takes one to know one, so take it from me. […] We've been lonely. We've been lonely, too long."_

\- Dust to Dust by The Civil Wars

* * *

 **Three years ago...**

Carmilla scratched her head as she flipped through a book about transfiguration which she found in the Hogwarts library. She had been looking for ways to become an animagus but was coming up with nothing. She sighed and closed the book, deciding to just head back to her dorm when she heard growling coming from behind her. The hair at the back of Carmilla's neck stood up and slowly turned around.

She found herself face-to-face with a cheetah, growling at her face. Carmilla didn't understand how a cheetah could've entered the library without anybody noticing. She tried to move as slowly as possible, her left hand closed around her wand and was prepared to draw it when the cheetah made a sound that was suspiciously like a laugh. Then before her eyes, the cheetah reared back, shrinking and morphing until in its place was none other than Headmistress Matska Belmonde.

Carmilla breathed out a sigh of relief. "Mattie, how the frilly hell did you do that? You're an animagus?"

Mattie simply smirked at her niece. "Of course, love." She glanced at the book Carmilla was reading. "And I see you're trying to figure out how to be one."

Carmilla scratched her head. "Look, Mattie. Mother's been very stressful lately and Lex suggested that we needed a way to get around as fast as possible."

Mattie tutted. "Well, seeing as to how I'm one, how about I teach you how to become an animagus as well?"

Carmilla's eyes lit up. "Really? You'll teach us?"

Mattie blinked. "Oh you mean including your cousins?" she clarified. Carmilla nodded. Mattie sighed and shook her head. "Very well. I'll teach your cousins as well."

Carmilla grinned and hugged her aunt. "Mattie, you're the absolute best."

Mattie hugged back. "Tell me something I don't know."

 **==xx==**

 **Present…**

Carmilla scowled as Aulus led her towards the Forbidden forest.

"Alright, Karnstein. You take the left side. I'll take the right. If you're in trouble send up a red flare," the groundskeeper said. His cat, Mrs. Umbridge hissed and Aulus raised his lantern higher and pointed a crooked finger at Carmilla who did everything in her power to stop her face from contorting in disgust. "Now, no funny business or I'll leave you out here on your own."

Carmilla rolled her eyes. "I'll hold my breath."

Aulus huffed and he turned around, his brown overcoat flaring up as he did so. Once he was far enough, Carmilla closed her eyes and felt her body morphing. When she opened her eyes, she could feel her pupils dilating, adjusting to the lack of light much better than her human eyes did.

She stretched, back bones cracking as she did. Carmilla relished the feeling of the ground beneath her paws.

When she found out that her animagus form was a panther she was delighted. She always admired panthers. They were black as the pit and terrible as the demon, or so they say.

Carmilla growled and ran towards the left of the forest. She padded around slowly. She knew that their Care of Magical Creatures professor kept hippogriffs, among others in the Dark Forest. The other things, being creatures that could maul her to death if she was a simple sixteen-year-old girl which she, fortunately, is not.

That may be so, it didn't stop the pseudo-patrol from being tedious. There was nothing interesting besides the occasional thestral, or some other magical being. Carmilla couldn't help but feel her heart sink every time she'd see a thestral.

 _Ell_ , her mind would whisper. Carmilla didn't tell Will what happened but Lex and Mattie knew. Lex heard the screams and Mattie, well, Mattie was there. She held Carmilla back as her mother did what she "had to do". It was terrible but Carmilla learned from it, for better or for worse. Okay, so _maybe_ she slipped the previous year but she rectified herself. Sort of.

A wolf's howl broke Carmilla out of her musings. Carmilla stopped and growled. Her body tensed and her paws curled into the earth. Her ears twitched, trying to figure out where the sound came from. The howl was familiar but that didn't stop Carmilla from being suspicious. The sound of padded footsteps approaching caught her attention and she whirled around. A twig cracked and a few birds scattered. Carmilla growled again and the footsteps stopped. After a few tense seconds, the footsteps resumed and a wolf stepped into view. The wolf was larger than normal, around as big as Carmilla's panther-form, and walked with a slight limp. It had gray fur and its eyes were a familiar shade of green. Carmilla scoffed and started to turn back to human, her clothes melting back as she did.

"Isn't it past curfew?" she asked.

The wolf shook its head and started to shift and turn back to none other than Lex Ivers.

"Seventh years have Saturday-duty, remember?" she said.

"Right," Carmilla replied, scoffing as she did making Lex frown.

"What's with you?" she asked.

Carmilla shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just tired. And you recovered faster than I expected."

Lex shook her head. "Nice deflection. We'll talk more when we get back to the dorm. Let's go, Carm." She turned around and Carmilla followed. She couldn't help but sigh after remembering the things Mattie told her. She honestly doubted that they would talk when they returned to their dormitory.

They didn't talk. Two weeks have passed and things were starting to get weird between Carmilla and Lex. Yes, fine. Maybe Carmilla was primarily the one responsible and Lex was just acting accordingly. She was nothing but respectful after all. Carmilla scowled. Today was the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor match and it seemed as if their captains were having a competition to see who could have the more obnoxious speech during breakfast.

Carmilla glanced at Laura who had a very amused but at the same time, a very embarrassed smile on her face. Two Hufflepuffs were seated next to her, to show their support, it seemed. They, along with Xena and the oversized man-child, seemed to have a very close group. One Carmilla thought she had with her cousins. She looked over to where Lex was sitting, at the end of the Slytherin table closest to the door. She was staring adamantly at her food, not bothering to talk to anybody. Carmilla rolled her eyes.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team started shuffle out of the Great Hall, followed closely by the Ravenclaw one. That was probably their cue to start heading to the stands.

 **==xx==**

"All right guys, a source told me that Martin's feeling especially cocky today and he might even show-off a bit," Danny started. "That means he'll be a tad bit careless so beaters, watch him and get him as soon as he makes a mistake."

Kirsch and Esthappen Beckett, a tall dark-skinned boy with a buzz cut, nodded when Danny pointed at them.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was having a meeting in a tent just outside the Quidditch field. Their game was going to start soon but Danny wanted to run through some last minute strategies.

"Mel, Laura, and Jess," Laura sat up straighter. She heard Mel scoff somewhere to her left. "Have you guys mastered our Porskoff Ploy variation?" Mel rolled her eyes and Danny took that as a yes. "Don't use it unless absolutely necessary. Ravenclaw's a little too confident today so if we play our cards right, we can keep that a secret until our match with Slytherin.

"Do you really think Ivers is in the right mind?" Mel asked. "From what I've heard, she's been pushing her team a little too hard. By the time we have to face them, they'll be so worn-out. And don't get me started on Eisen's suspension and Karnstein's... mishaps."

Laura felt her insides grow cold. What did Carmilla's sudden parade of study buddies have to do with anything? She noticed that Danny was glaring hard at Mel. Laura knew that even if Danny wouldn't admit it out loud, she considered Lex a friend so hearing Mel say all those things must have really ticked her off.

"Don't underestimate Slytherin, Mel. They might have a lot more tricks up their sleeve than we think."

Mel stood up and stepped towards Danny. "Yeah? And you'd know that, seeing as to how you're suddenly all buddy-buddy with their captain."

The whole tent suddenly felt very tense.

Kirsch and Beckett immediately started inspecting their bats. Their seeker, Elsie Haight, adjusted her gloves. Laura tried not to stare but it was hard after catching her and Carmilla in a _very_ compromising position. Laura tried not to take that too personally. She and Carmilla were no longer dating so she didn't have the right to be jealous so why was she?

The sound of a horn blaring cleared up the tension in the tent.

"Alright, let's go!" Danny said. She clapped her hands twice before getting up. Everyone else followed suit.

Ravenclaw was playing a lot more aggressively than normal that was for sure. They had a strategy Laura couldn't quite pinpoint. She ducked to avoid a Ravenclaw chaser who was trying to steal the quaffle from her. She could feel Adam getting ready to dive-bomb her but a bludger was sent his way courtesy of Kirsch who gave Laura a thumbs up.

SShe threw the quaffle towards right-most goal. The keeper moved to intercept it but Mel swooped up and punched it through.

The crowd cheered and Mel gave her a high-five.

"Not bad, Hollis!" She yelled. Laura gave her a curt nod.

"Clara has it! You or me?" she asked.

"You're faster! Go!"

Laura nodded again and flew after Clara. Clara slammed into her and she slammed back, wincing as she did. She was never really one for violent play but sometimes, she had to if she wanted their house to win.

Clara grimaced and dropped the quaffle into the waiting hands of Adam Martin who pulled up and tossed the ball up to their third chaser who hit it with his broom sending it to the middle hoop while Danny lunged for the rightmost.

Danny swore and Laura couldn't help but do so as well. The match had been going on for a while and Ravenclaw's new seeker, Killian Morgenstern, was doing a good job of keeping Elsie from getting the snitch. If he catches the snitch, their houses would tie and they'd have to do a shoot-out. Danny was exhausted and Laura didn't think she'd last in the shoot-out.

Killian was already chasing the snitch. His broom was the same as Carmilla's _not_ that she cared. It was just something she noticed. Really.

 **==xx==**

Carmilla grimaced. She and Lex decided to bet on who would win. Naturally, Carmilla bet on Gryffindor. Will was more focused on counting Theo's successful hits. Carmilla knew that Lex was itching to lift the suspension given Theo's performance. He definitely had a lot of good hits, foiling a lot of Gryffindor's ploys.

Ravenclaw may have been behind in terms of scoring, but Carmilla could tell that it was on purpose. They've mostly been exhausting Danny for the first part of the game so they were gunning for a shoot-out.

Killian was close to the snitch already. Carmilla couldn't help but feel nervous. She started to (vaguely) remember Killian. They used to play Quidditch when he and the children of his mother's other associates would come over for one reason or another. Laura had the quaffle and Adam was on one side while the third Ravenclaw chaser was on the other. Kirsch managed to get the third one out of the way with a good hit to a bludger. Adam, however, was still on the path trying to veer Laura off-course.

Carmilla was gripping her wand tightly, ready to do something in case he tries something. Instead, she glanced at her cousin whose jaw was clenched so tightly, Carmilla could see a muscle twitching.

Suddenly there a cheer came from Gryffindor followed by confused murmurs from Ravenclaw. Killian had caught the snitch but Gryffindor was in the lead.

By ten points.

Shortly before Killian caught the snitch, Laura shoved Adam aside and threw the quaffle at the middle hoop. Kirsch swung a bludger towards the keeper who was forced to avoid it instead of catching the quaffle.

The Gryffindor team alighted and lifted Laura up on their shoulders. Carmilla smirked and held a hand out to Lex. "Five galleons. Pay up, cuz." Lex scowled but handed them to her, anyway.

Will stood up. "Come on, guys. Brady told me that Hufflepuff's throwing a party later to celebrate the end of the first round."

Carmilla stretched. "Where?"

Will frowned. "Their common room, I think."

Lex raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She nodded and stood up. "Okay. But we have Quidditch practice on Monday evening."

Will frowned. "Do I still have to go? I mean, I'm suspended and all," he said as they walked down the stands.

Lex sighed. "I have to lift it. Given how Straka and Kirsch were performing earlier. I'm going to need you."

Will fist-pumped and Carmilla's eyebrows shot up.

"Good for you, Willy-boy," Carmilla said. Will grinned.

Carmilla could hear the Gryffindor team chanting "Hollis! Hollis!" She was tempted to go to them and show her support or something.

 _(Whatever. It's stupid.)_

She shook her head and followed her cousins.

 **==xx==**

Hufflepuff really did know how to throw a party. It was fun seeing Kirsch getting drenched by the barrels after he tapped the wrong pattern. Laura giggled as Kirsch spluttered and tried to wipe himself. Danny rolled her eyes and pushed him aside, tapping the right pattern herself. She brushed off some fake-dirt off her baseball tee. Laura pulled out her wand from the inner pocket of her white blazer and cast a hot-air charm on kirsch to dry his clothes: a light purple button-down with a ridiculously popped collar, light-brown khakis, and navy blue sneakers. He shot her a grateful look and all three of them entered the Hufflepuff common room.

The party was already in full swing when they entered. LaF was mixing a bunch of stuff at some elevated platform and Perry was running around with Tommy James, the other Hufflepuff prefect, trying to clean up the mess people were leaving behind. The room was thumping with some muggle music with way too much bass but people didn't seem to mind. Lots of people were dancing on the make-shift dancefloor in the middle of the common room.

"Hey! Cap's here!" Elsie shouted from her place on top of a table in a ridiculously multi-colored skirt and a black tank top. She jumped down and practically skipped towards them. "Mel wants to challenge you to a drinking contest!"

Danny winced. "What drink?"

"Firewhisky!"

Kirsch instantly perked up. "Firewhisky? Oh this is going to be great D-bear!" He started dragging Danny away from Laura and towards a table full of bad decisions.

Laura scrunched her nose and shook her head in amusement. At least, until she realized that her friends left her alone. She looked around, looking for a familiar face. There was the Ravenclaw players playing some variation of Wizard's Chess but with various alcoholic drinks instead of actual figures in one corner of the room. Killian and Theo were playing against each other. Adam was pretty gone, swaying side-to-side and spilling bits of his drink on the floor. Clara was sitting on the arm of the honey-yellow couch the rest of the Ravenclaw team was on, occasionally forcing a smile to keep up appearances.

"Saw your friends abandon you," someone spoke up next to her. Laura jumped and turned her head to look at who spoke up. It was Elliot Greatwich, Slytherin's back-up seeker. She had blonde hair tucked in a red backwards snapback, and probably two of the bluest eyes Laura had ever seen. Laura had to look up quite a bit because Elliot was around a head taller than her.

"Oh, hey! Um, Elliot, right?" Laura said.

Elliot gave Laura a small smile. "Yeah. And you're Laura Hollis." She handed Laura one of the two solo cups she was holding. "Butterbeer?"

Laura gratefully took it. "Thanks! So, um, do you frequently attend stuff like this?"

Elliot shrugged and took a sip from her cup. "My friend, Jess, does. She just drags me around."

Laura's eyes widened. "Jess? As in _our_ Jess? Our third chaser Jess? _You're_ her pitiful Slytherin friend?" As soon as that slipped out, Laura covered her mouth and squeaked out a weak "I'm sorry."

Elliot frowned. "Pitiful? Jess called me pitiful? Ugh, where's that Gryffindor knucklehead? I _swear_ , I'm going to-"

She turned to find her friend and Laura flailed, grabbing Elliot's arm to turn her back around just in case she decides to start a duel with Jess or something. In her panic she accidentally spilled her drink down Elliot's white tank top, just narrowly missing the blue button-down she decided to wear on top of it. Laura gaped.

"I. Am. So. Sorry."

 _(A plus Hollis. You meet a nice, cute girl at a party and you just_ had _to mess it up.)_

Elliot's mouth hung open for a while before she shut her eyes and started laughing. Laura stared at her for a moment before laughing herself. She didn't know how long it had been since she last laughed like this. It was a strange but not unwelcome feeling. All thoughts of Carmilla were almost pushed out. Almost.

 **==xx==**

It was Monday night and rain was pouring down _hard._ So what does Lex do? Make them do drills. Carmilla's mood was already pretty sordid. For the last two days, Laura had been getting closer and closer to their _other_ seeker who was now getting bumped up to chaser because Jacob Tully, their third starting chaser had to be brought to St. Mungo's to be treated for drinking way too much during the party last Saturday.

She glared at Lex who was shouting at them to move faster or something. Honestly, Carmilla didn't know why she still put up with Lex. She's the reason why Mother made her break up with Laura. Maybe Mattie was right. Lex _was_ a self-righteous ass who would do anything to prove herself regardless of who she hurt.

Carmilla was so lost in her thoughts that she collided with Mathias and they both rolled onto the muddy ground. Lex was standing at her side within a few seconds.

"Carmilla, what the hell was that?!" she yelled. "Get your head back in the drills before you cause more damage."

Sofia dismounted next to Mathias and helped him stand up, brushing some of the mud off his uniform. "Hey, Ivers. I'm okay. Relax. Maybe Karnstein's just tired," Mathias said.

Lex said nothing and Carmilla found herself growling.

"Damn right I'm tired," she muttered. She pushed herself up and glared at Lex who sported her usual blank expression.

Rain was pouring all around them. The water seeped through Carmilla's uniform. She shivered but willed herself to be still as she locked eyes with her cousin.

"We're done here. Everyone, get cleaned up. We'll do this again tomorrow," Lex's eyes never left Carmilla's.

Will lingered for a bit before shrugging and leaving with everyone else. When she was sure they were alone, Carmilla spoke again.

"I'm tired of you acting like you don't care about anything. I'm tired of you pushing me around and now this? You're so obsessed with this whole Quidditch thing that you don't care about how the rest of the team is holding up!" She shoved Lex who allowed herself to be pushed back. "And as if the team wasn't enough, you hurt me too."

Lex's mouth opened slightly. "Carm, I..."

"Lex, don't. I broke up with Laura _because of you_."

"Hey, what? I wasn't the one who forced you to do that. It was Mother!"

"Yeah. I know, it's _so easy_ to blame her but you can't ignore the fact that she did that because of you. _You_ told her that you thought Laura was distracting me."

"That's not-"

"Yes it was!" It's Ell all over again!" Carmilla choked. She hadn't spoken about that Beauxbaton girl in two years. Her memory bubbled up to the surface of her mind, fueling her anger towards her cousin.

Lex's eyes softened. She reached for her cousin. "Carmilla look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No Lex. You can't just say sorry. You can't just give me new stuff either. A new broom isn't going to make me forget. I'm done with you."

Carmilla turned away and Lex's eyes widened in panic. She rushed forward and held onto Carmilla from behind. Carmilla squirmed and tried to get out of Lex's hold but the older girl was really clinging onto her. That's when Lex started shaking. The cold, perhaps? Carmilla might've been able to convince herself that it was just that but then she felt warm liquid trickle down the back of her neck.

 _(Was Lex crying?)_

Carmilla's throat tightened when Lex started whispering "I'm sorry" over and over again. Her voice was unsteady and was on the verge of cracking.

"I'm sorry I suddenly shut you out. I'm sorry I let mother do that to you. I'm sorry for not being there for you. I'm just- I can't- It-" Her voice finally cracked and Carmilla felt tears running down her own face.

"I know what it's like," Lex forced herself to continue. "I know how much you want to tell her everything, let her know you still love her."

"No one said anything about..." Carmilla trailed off when she felt Lex scoff. Lex released her and she turned around to face her cousin. "But you know what? Damn what Mother says. Carmilla Alexis Karnstein, you deserve to be happy, okay?"

Carmilla frowned and looked up at her cousin. "How about you? Clara?"

Lex winced and looked away. "She's with Adam now. There's no point."

They locked eyes again. Carmilla could suddenly see that her cousin suffered just as much she had. She'd been so caught up in her own pain that she never noticed her cousin's.

 **==xx==**

 **Three years ago…**

"Lex!" Carmilla said, almost as soon as she entered the Slytherin common room. She knew Lex was still up studying for some Herbology exam. (She procrastinated studying for it because she absolutely _loathed_ Herbology.) What she wasn't expecting was for Mathias and Sofia to be up with her.

Lex stretched pushed herself off the floor, where she was sitting on with books and papers sprawled around her. Mathias and Sofia were set-up similarly. Lex carefully tip-toed around the study material.

"What's up?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I figured out a way to get around without our brooms," Carmilla said, grinning smugly at her cousin.

"Animagus? Yeah, I considered that," Lex replied, frowning. "It's a difficult process and I'm not sure if-"

"Mattie's offering to help us!" Carmilla blurted out.

Lex raised an eyebrow. "I'd say I was surprised then I remembered that it's you. Of course she'll help you." She patted Carmilla's head, causing the latter to swat at her hands. "Talk to you tomorrow, cuz. I need to study." She started to head back to the study area when Carmilla called out.

"Maybe if you didn't procrastinate that subject so much, you wouldn't have to!"

A groan came from Lex earning laughter from Mathias and Sofia.

Carmilla smirked and headed back to her dorm.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Special guest: Elliot from Almost Adults! Yeah, I thought it would be fun if she showed up to spice things up and make Carm jealous. Her friend, Jess, from 'Til Lease Do Us Part also gets mentioned!

Disclaimer: I haven't actually sorted them and I just stuck them in the houses that made the most sense. My actual opinions on their sorting may change (though, I do think that Jess is a Gryffindor or at least has a Gryffindor secondary if we're going by sortinghatchats).

And Panther!milla makes an appearance! It doesn't seem like it now but Hollstein is endgame, I swear.

Special thanks to my friend Robin for editing this for me at 12 in the morning. I love you and bless your cow.


End file.
